Distance
by TheGameNguyener
Summary: One year ago, Mario's worldwide journey abruptly ended on a sour note when he made an impulsive move. The aftermath created some awkward tension between him and the woman he cared about. Despite being stoic, he remained guilty to this day, wondering if he permanently ruined his relationship with Peach. [Complete]
1. Ch 1: Wish I Could Forget

_A/N: __Welcome to this short story as we celebrate the one-year anniversary of Super Mario Odyssey, one of the most critically acclaimed games in history. I should mention that if you want to avoid any spoilers, I would highly recommend exiting this page right now as I'll be going through some story events that are found in the game. I expect this to be a couple chapters, and uploads will not be frequently posted on a consistent basis. Plus, I still have two big projects to finish._

 _For flashbacks, dialogue is in italics. Thoughts are in both **bold** and italics. Narration is just normal text._

 _Any numbers in bold, italics, and parentheses are explained in the Post-Chapter Notes at the bottom of the page. Ex.- **(1)**_

 _Other than that, I hope you enjoy my latest story titled Distance!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Major spoilers to Super Mario Odyssey will be referenced here. I don't own anything related to Mario or Nintendo whatsoever._

* * *

 _"When one door closes another door opens, but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."_

 ** _~Alexander Graham Bell_**

* * *

 **Chapter 1:** Wish I Could Forget

 _Location: Mushroom Kingdom_

It was seven in the morning as the sun started to rise. Luigi got up early as he typically does every other day. Going downstairs into the kitchen, he brewed some tea and fixed up two Omelette Meals for breakfast. He set the plates and mugs down on the table.

"Mario!" he called for his older brother. "Breakfast is ready!" The green plumber began eating, but he didn't hear any footsteps. Not from the stairs or the upper floor. "Mario! Did you hear me?" There was no response after that. "Hmm... Must be sleeping in again."

Luigi paused from his meal and went upstairs to wake him up. When he got to the outside of his room, he knocked on his door twice.

"Mario? I said breakfast is done. Come down before it gets cold!"

What he didn't expect to hear was a groan from inside.

Luigi furrowed his eyebrows. " _Fratello_ , are you awake?"

A deep, muffled sigh followed his question.

"Mario, can you talk at all?"

"Yes, I can," he heard his brother in a deadpan tone.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm good." The way he said it didn't convince him.

"Can I come in?"

After another long pause, Mario moaned. "Fine. Come in."

Luigi gently opened the door and peeked inside. He saw Mario lying on his stomach in an awkward position. His face was buried under his pillow and one of his legs dangled off the edge. Half the blanket was on the floor.

"Mario?"

"Morning, Weegie," his voice remained dull.

"What's wrong?"

He didn't reply for a while. "Nothing. I'm just tired..."

"Are you sick as well?"

"Maybe."

"What do you mean, 'maybe'?"

"Oh, I don't know..."

"Do you want me to bring you some tea?"

"No thanks."

Luigi needed to get straight to the point. "Aren't you aware that we have to get going in less than twenty minutes?"

Another sigh came from Mario. "Is this about the big party tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Come on, bro. We promised to help Princess Peach and the Toads with the rest of the decorations. We're almost done, too. You can sleep when we're finished."

"I know that, Luigi."

"So, why aren't you getting up?"

"Didn't I tell you already? I'm tired."

"Mario, no offense, but you're starting to sound like me whenever I get depressed. Is something bothering you?"

He managed to turn around and sit up to face his sibling. Luigi tried to hide his shock. The nightcap fell off Mario's head, showing off his messy hair. Bags were found under his sapphire eyes. He was red in the face, too.

"Mario, have you not gotten any sleep last night?"

"Oh, I did sleep. But I had trouble counting sheep, you know?"

"So, there _is_ something bothering you," Luigi assumed.

Mario shook his head in denial. "I told you before. I'm tired."

"But why?"

"It's none of your business."

Luigi felt that he was hiding a secret. "Bro, you can tell me anything."

"I don't want to talk right now."

"You always told me talking can help things out a little."

"Yeah, well, I'm not in the mood," Mario was losing his patience.

"But can't I help you feel better?"

"How about you leave me alone then?! That would make me feel better, so I don't have to hear your mouth yapping at me!"

Luigi stepped back with wide eyes. He had seen his brother go through a couple angry moments here and there. But every time he was aggressive, he felt a little scared that he may have crossed a line.

"I-I'm sorry, M-Mario..."

The older brother knew he was wrong for yelling at Luigi like that. He shut his eyes and covered his face with his hand, his right thumb wiping the rheum out of his eyes.

"Luigi, I didn't mean to scream. I'm... It's just that..." He was having trouble finding the words.

"No, no, I get it. I probably shouldn't have asked so many questions."

"Luigi, don't blame yourself for this. I acted inappropriately towards you. It was my mistake."

"I didn't mean to make you mad."

"And you didn't. I just didn't sleep well, that's all. I had no reason to take it out on you. But trust me, I'm okay."

Luigi was about to ask if he was sure, but he refrained at the last second. "Alright, bro. You can come downstairs when you're ready. The food and tea might be cold at this point though."

"That's fine. I can reheat it myself. I'll shower, eat breakfast, and head on over to the castle. You can run ahead of me. Tell Peach that I'll be a bit late to help."

"You got it, Mario."

"Thanks, Luigi," he smiled.

The green man grinned back before he closed the door. As soon as he did though, Mario's smile faded away. He fell back onto his bed with his arms spread out to his sides. He aimlessly stared at the ceiling fan, spinning at a moderate rate to allow a small breeze to flow inside his bedroom. But the motion only reminded him of something else. Well, technically, it was only a small detail. Yet it was part of a huge problem.

Mario's eyes started to lose focus. At the time, it felt like the blades started to oscillate faster. And faster. And faster. It picked up speed to the point that Mario was seeing something change in his vision. And what he saw was a metal propeller on the side of a decorated airship.

It all started on that one fateful day. No matter how hard he tried, the memory wouldn't wipe away from his mind.

* * *

 _~Flashback: One year ago_

 _..._

In the early morning hours, Mario was spending some leisure time with Princess Peach. Like every other day, he felt content whenever she was in his company.

However, he was hoping to take things up a notch.

On this day, Mario used some of his coins on a bouquet of beautiful roses, Peach's favorite kind of flowers. He also took her out for a delicious breakfast at a café in Toad Town. But the biggest investment he spent his savings on was a precious item that could change his and her lives forever.

 _"Mario,"_ Peach giggled as they walked up the path to the castle, _"I have a feeling that you're up to something. All you've done this morning was treat me with kindness and offer these nice things to me."_

 _"Well, I just want to make you happy for being a great friend of mine."_ The red-clad man didn't notice, but Peach had a slight twinge in her heart when he finished his statement.

 _"Mario, you didn't have to do all this."_

 _"I wanted to, Princess. You've really changed my life ever since I met you."_

She lowered her gaze with a small frown. _"But all I've done was let myself get kidnapped all the time only for you to rescue me. I feel bad that you have to go through so many dangers just so you can help someone who's not as strong and brave as you."_

 _"That's not true at all. You've stepped up to the plate to show off your skills and abilities. I've seen you fight and persevere. You never had the attitude to give up. You're a gifted person, Peach. You're just as strong as me. If not, I think you're better."_

She blushed at his words, thinking it was only motivational talk. But Mario's voice sounded sincere, something she perceived long ago dating back to their first encounter.

 _"And besides, I value your life over mine. Aside from Luigi, you're the one person I feel grateful to be close with. I truly mean it."_

Peach smiled and giggled a little. _"Thank you, Mario."_

 _"And Peach, I..."_ His cheeks flushed red as he looked down and scratched the back of his head. _"There's something I've been willing to ask you."_

 _"What's that?"_

Mario stopped walking as he turned to face her. _"I've mentioned earlier that you were a great friend to me. And I know that you feel the same way about me, too. However, it was hard for me to admit that..."_ He paused to take a deep breath. _"Over the years since I've rescued you in Bowser's Castle the very first time, after I laid my eyes upon yours, those blessed, beautiful pools of blue, I've developed different feelings for you."_

Peach widened her pools of blue. She had an idea of where Mario was going with this, but she didn't want to think too far ahead in case she was wrong.

 _"Go on..."_

 _"I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who initially thought it seemed very peculiar that someone like you would appreciate a guy like myself. I think it's safe to say that I don't care about that anymore. I sincerely believe you're an incredible woman, Peach. And I'm lucky I got to spend some great moments with you in the past. But moving forward, I want to live my life with you."_

The princess was in shock, and she later raised a hand over her mouth when he saw him get down on one knee.

 _"M-Mario?"_

He was about to reach into his back pocket to grab something. _"Princess Peach Toadstool, will you-"_

 ** _*BOOM_** ** _*_**

The loud explosion disturbed their moment. Toads started to scream and panic, running down the green hills and away from the calamity. Mario stood up and searched around until he saw the source.

A large airship flew in the sky above Peach's castle. The propellers spun rapidly as it approached its destination. What made the airship different was that it was repainted in white with cloth and Piranha Plants decorated on the sides. Purple carpet spread across the deck. The owner stood on the edge of the aircraft, looking down at Mario and Peach. The former noticed his unusual appearance. He was looking dapper, wearing a white tuxedo, a large, purple bow, and a spiked top hat. It was quite a change to see him looking fancy or even wearing clothes, not that Mario cared in the first place. But seeing his face always made him angry.

Just then, the large figure snapped his fingers. Cannons shot out ammunition towards the two. Mario grabbed Peach's hand to run away, but a cannonball landed right near them that they flew in different directions. The intruder took off his top hat and spun it down to where Peach was. A mechanical boxing glove grabbed the princess before it flew back onto the ship. He had her right where he wanted.

 _"GWAHAHAHA! Good morning, Princess Peach! How did you like my grand entrance?"_

Peach was livid, which was uncharacteristic of her. _"Bowser! How dare you!"_

 _"Why, what's the matter? All I wanted was to see you."_

 _"Yeah, and you ruined my morning with Mario!"_

 _"Oh, please. Forget about that pudgy plumber. What you need is someone who is willing to give you anything you want and make you happy for the rest of your life."_

 _"How about you put me down? That'll make me happy."_

Bowser got into her face, causing her to lean back in fear. He glanced at her royal, beloved crown. With his claw, he flicked it off her head.

 _"Hey! My crown!"_

 _"Do not fret, my wife-to-be."_

She turned to him with huge eyes, hoping she heard him incorrectly. _"Excuse me?!"_

 _"Oh, you didn't get the news? I'm looking forward to our wedding,"_ Bowser smirked.

 _"Hold on! Who even planned this?! And what makes you think that I'm going to marry you?!"_

 _"Isn't it obvious? **I** planned all this! Now, I have a present for you."_

From the pocket of his suit, he pulled out a Bonneter named Tiara. True to her name, she resembled a bridal tiara.

 _"Here's something to replace that old crown of yours."_

Peach saw her shivering in fear as she couldn't leave from Bowser's clutch. If Tiara tried to flee, she thought that Bowser might hurt her. She quickly transformed into her bridal crown form, and Bowser placed her on top of Peach's hair. Gasping, she saw how frightened the poor Bonneter was.

 _"BWAHAHA! It looks stunning on you! Now, all we need is a wedding dress! And I know just the place to get one! But first, I have to make some stops in the other kingdoms to make this wedding perfect!"_

 _"Well, you know what's not perfect?"_ Bowser growled at the sound of that voice. Peach, on the other hand, was relieved. The Koopa King turned around to see Mario leaping onto the ship. _"It's the idea of you getting married to her! Now let Peach go!"_

With Peach and Tiara watching from the upper step, Bowser and Mario clashed on the deck of the airship. The red hero landed a couple punches and kicks at his chest and head. He managed to dodge all of Bowser's early attacks. Even though she saw Mario winning, Peach couldn't deny that she was scared for him.

 _"Grr... I don't have time for you to interfere with my plans! I'm going to make this quick and easy."_

Bowser showed no mercy in the second half of the fight. He reached a fist out to his nemesis to knock him back several feet. Bowser reached out with the other hand, but Mario barely jumped back. The Koopa leaped in the air to pounce on him, causing Mario to fly forward. Bowser turned around and let out a deep breath of fire. The flame shot at the plumber as he narrowly dodged to the side.

Somehow, Mario was getting fatigued from this fight. He never felt this tired in his previous battles with Bowser. It seemed clear he had the same intentions as before. But he was much more prepared for this moment than any other time in the past.

 _"Feeling exhausted, buddy?"_

Mario pushed the brim of his hat as he wheezed. _"No... I'm not..."_

Bowser chortled in front of him and Peach. _"Just let it be, Mario. This is the end... for you!"_

He followed by grabbing his top hat again and whisked it at Mario. It barely missed him, but his signature red hat flew high above. Mario ignored it and clenched his hands in fury.

 _"I don't need my hat to defeat you, Bowser!"_ he started to run towards him.

 ** _"Wait for it..."_**

Bowser's hat suddenly took a detour back to the airship like a boomerang. Peach saw this coming and tried to warn him.

 _"Mario! Look out!"_

 _"Huh?"_

He rotated around and only had enough time to gasp as the top hat hit him directly in the face. With so much speed and force, it managed to send the plumber out of the Mushroom Kingdom.

 _"WAAAH!"_

Peach reached out a hand in the air. _"NO! MARIO!"_

When she saw it with her own two eyes, the pink princess was in despair. She couldn't believe that Mario was sent away like that. And it happened moments after what seemed to be a life-changing moment. Tiara bounced on her head in dismay, horrified that Mario was gone. However, they saw his red hat float down onto the airship. When it landed, Bowser raised a foot and stomped on the headgear. With another evil grin, he grabbed Peach with his left claw and shouted across the land.

 _"Eventually, it'll be time for my wedding with Peach! Jealous, Mario?! It's not like you're going to respond, because you're officially gone! You will never be able to save my wife anymore! BWAHAHAHA!"_

Peach had to cover her ears from Bowser's loud roar. All she could do was plead for any kind of aid.

 _"No! Help me!"_

As Bowser tipped his hat goodbye, the airship made its course to the Sand Kingdom. Mario's crinkled possession flew away before it got cut up into pieces by the back propeller. A red patch with the 'M' made it into the hands of a white spirit who was shaped like a top hat. He gave a glance at the piece of fabric and down below.

 ** _"That poor guy. I better go find him and hope he's okay."_ **From there, Cappy headed to his homeland in Bonneton. _**(1)**_

 _~End of flashback_

* * *

Mario glanced over to a picture on his bedside dresser. It was a photo of Mario, Peach, Cappy, Tiara, and everyone he met from his biggest adventure to date. **_(2)_** He was standing proudly next to the princess as both had smiles on their faces. However, just from scrutinizing Peach alone, he was thinking that she was expressing a hidden emotion.

Disappointment.

Mario grabbed another item, this one coming from the top drawer of his dresser. He took out something small and opened the top to reveal the contents inside. Sealed within a small case made of soft, black felt, a beautiful diamond ring was tucked in between the cushions. Beneath the top was a message engraved on the white lining of the box.

'To the woman I want to be with forever.'

This was what he was going to use for his engagement proposal to Peach. Since Bowser ruined it, he traveled the world to prevent his enemy from doing the same thing he wanted to experience with her. He wished it could have been just the two of them, getting married and spending eternity with the one they truly loved.

Love...

Mario shook his head as he closed the box. "What kind of love? How could that still be a thing if she doesn't have those feelings anymore?"

Sighing heavily, the plumber laid back on his bed. As his hand extended over the edge of the bed, he carelessly dropped the ring box onto the floor. It meant nothing to him since that day. He didn't have the guts to throw it away or even sell it. For an entire year, Mario kept it as a secret to only himself.

And for what? A rejection that emotionally crushed him.

The biggest kick in the face from this? He started it. And he felt like he earned it.

 _"If only I wasn't such a big jerk."_

Mario made a blunder back then, and failing to move on from that was eating his heart out. Because of what happened on the moon, Mario had never forgiven himself. He couldn't stop thinking about it without feeling guilty. The man was also aware that he was making another mistake right now: avoiding the princess. But today wasn't the only time he had kept his distance from her.

Almost willing to neglect his promise to Luigi, he cuddled up in his sheets and laid his head down. Before he could try to go back to sleep, he heard a ringing noise outside his room. At first, Mario thought it was the doorbell, and he figured that if he ignored it, the person would go away. But it wasn't the doorbell. It was the home phone.

"Oh for Grambi's sake..." he muttered as he lazily got out of bed. "Why do we have to have just one phone in this household, and why does it have to be _downstairs_?"

The excessive ringing wasn't making it any better for the disheveled plumber.

"I'm coming!" He grabbed the phone harshly. "Hello?"

"Mario? Is that you?"

In an immediate second, all the negative emotions washed away as his face became pale, excluding his cheeks that started to redden.

"Mario?"

Her voice on the other line made him shudder. He felt anxious. Not once in his life had he felt this way until after the moon incident. It was a sound so pure and calm that it always melted his heart every time he heard it.

Not this time.

"Mario? Are you there? Please, answer me!"

His hand was shaking uncontrollably that he dropped the phone onto the floor. The loud bang made him jump before he picked it up, hearing the same person call out to him.

"Mario, what's going on? I want to talk to you."

Panicking, the plumber quickly hung up, slamming the phone down back to its original place. He laid his back on the wall before sliding down until he sat on the floor, knees curled up to his chest. Frustrated at his rudeness, he dug his head into his lap.

 _"Pathetic,"_ he mentally scolded himself. _"You're too cowardly to talk to her. You've done it many times in the past, and you still talked to her after the incident. So why can't you get over it?!"_

Mario bent his neck back that his head hit the wall. He couldn't care less about how much it hurt. What he needed was closure. He was having a hard time accomplishing that. Not to mention, _long_.

After thinking for a bit, he decided to do something. But it wasn't fulfilling his promise to his brother. Mario got himself cleaned up, put his clothes on, ate breakfast, and left a note on the kitchen table. He went outside to find his airship, the Odyssey. Once he took flight, he made a course to the Cap Kingdom.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Being a fan of Mario games, you'd probably expect me to write a lot of stories under this category. But since I only have three fanfics, two of them technically being crossovers with Sonic, I came up with this about a week ago. It basically reflects the side of Mario we normally don't see, and this made-up scenario occurs after the conclusion of the game._

 _Again, this story is not going to be huge, and I likely won't update it consistently, but I hope you're interested enough to read more. Speaking of which, you can either follow, add this as a favorite, review down below, or all three. That way, I know if you're enjoying this already. Until then, thanks for reading Ch. 1 of Distance, and I'll see you guys for the next one. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _I gave my own backstory of what happened prior to the introductory cutscene of Super Mario Odyssey to give some context of what this short story is based on._

 _But on an irrelevant note, how is Cappy STILL not a character option to choose on Fanfiction, yet the Broodals are there? It's been a year since the game came out, and you'd think Cappy would be added to the Mario characters list. But nope, he's not there._

 ** _(2):_** _The photograph I mentioned is shown at the end after the secret final boss fight, which is generally a harder version of the original one._


	2. Ch 2: Guilt Trip

_A/N:_ _Brace yourselves. This is a long introductory Author's Note._

 _Despite my hiatus, I want to thank every single person who either left a favorite, followed the story, wrote a review, and/or just read the first chapter of my latest short story. It's a long list of people, but I want to thank those who already like it so far (as of this update)._

 _FairyTalePrincess16, Infinite's Ruby, Marcela Cerda Garcia, Oderus, SpiderDom321, StarrySkyFall, Steel Fairy, and seraangelqc, thanks for being the first eight users to add Distance to your Favorite Stories list, most notably within the first twenty-four hours when I released this story. It is the most I've ever gotten in that period of time for the first chapter of any of my works, mostly because I uploaded it on the one-year anniversary of Super Mario Odyssey._

 _Beowulf the Divine Emperor, GirlOnDarkerSide, Kitkatkatester, TrimusicaDrag00n90, CrashBandit450, Pikminfan, NMochi, and CrazyCartoonz, thanks as well for adding this fanfic as a favorite._

 _Not only that, thanks to SagaOfJenny, Tiger of Darkness, DameFlemmarde, Anonymous Girl Gamer, Mariogeek, and everyone else who left a follow._

 _Lastly, thanks to FairyTalePrincess16, Oderus, Infinite's Ruby, Steel Fairy, SpiderDom321, Anonymous Girl Gamer, James Birdsong, XenoGamer186, and the four Guests for writing a review. Whether it's positive feedback, constructive criticism, or first impressions/thoughts, they all mean a lot to me._

 _Whew. I'm **so** glad I managed to get through all that. Seriously, I appreciate the support from you guys. As a side note, I made some edits to the first chapter, which includes something added after the disclaimer. The same will be done for every other chapter exclusively for this story. Now let's not waste any more time. Onto the next chapter!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Major spoilers to Super Mario Odyssey are found here. I don't own anything in the Mario franchise._

* * *

 _"If you ask why I'm distant, oh, I'm running away."_

 ** _~Halsey (from 'Alone')_**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:** Guilt Trip

At the castle, all of the Toads continued their work to set up for tomorrow's party. Streamers, balloons, tables, and other props were being arranged in the lobby. Luigi, who was helping with the decorations, was very excited about it. After all, this was a surprise event for Princess Daisy. She received an invitation to join the next Smash Bros. event, and Princess Peach was the one who proposed the idea to celebrate this occasion. **_(1)_** Even though it was only over a month away until all the qualified fighters actually leave their world to travel to the Smash Mansion, everyone thought it would be nice to throw a party for Daisy.

Many citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom and around the world agreed to join the festivities, which included most of the fighters who participated in at least one tournament in the past. The list included Yoshi, Rosalina, Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong. As for the last two, they weren't so thrilled that their reptilian rival, King K. Rool, also got an inclusion to the Smash Bros. tournament. Pauline, who wasn't much a fighter, instead was asked to perform as background music and allow New Donk City to be eligible as a battlefield. She gladly accepted the offer and decided to attend Daisy's surprise party.

Despite the fact that there were some bad relations between certain fighters, Bowser, Jr., the Koopalings, and Wario also received invites to the party. It didn't take long, but word was immediately received that Wario declined to attend the party because he thought Waluigi would start another outburst since he was only invited back to the Smash tourneys as an assistant fighter. If he went, then Waluigi had almost no choice but to come as well. The last thing Wario wanted was to have his purple partner wreck the celebration on purpose. **_(2)_**

As for the Koopa King, Bowser also rejected the invitation, which forced all the Koopa Kids to be unable to attend as well. Bowser may had been a part of the gang's sports competitions and kart races, but he was not the kind of person, or rather Koopa, who enjoyed parties, especially when he's usually the one ruining them. **_(3)_**

Regardless, everything was shaping up to be perfect. Luigi was eager to see the look on Daisy's face when she sees what they have planned for her. However, he noticed that his older brother had yet to arrive at the castle. He took a moment to step outside. Checking his surroundings, he didn't see a single trace of him or his red hat nearby.

"Mario, when are you coming over?" he whispered to himself.

Not wanting to slack off, Luigi returned to his duties. He was embellishing a large banner reading 'Congratulations Daisy!' with flowers glued around the border. At one point, he had a question of where he should hang it up. He decided to ask Peach for her opinion. Once the green-clad man got to her bedroom door, he knocked twice.

"Hello? Princess Peach?"

He didn't receive a response. He tried knocking again.

"Peach?"

Luigi didn't want to be rude by entering her room without permission, so he stayed out in the hallway. But it was such a long period of awkward silence that he was starting to get tired of waiting. He gave the door three more knocks.

"Princess Peach? Are you th-" The door suddenly opened, interrupting his question.

"Oh, Luigi. I'm so sorry. I didn't hear you." Technically, she was lying. Earlier, she tried to call Mario. But after he abruptly hung up on her, she was caught in a state of confusion and sadness. Never had she ever thought that he would do such a thing. It wasn't like him to end a phone call without responding.

"It's no problem, Peach. I was going to ask you if you want the big banner to be hung in the lobby or outside the castle." He waited for an answer, but he caught Peach staring at nothing. "Princess?" he waved a hand in front of her.

"Huh? What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, um..." she was having trouble speaking.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Uh, no. Everything's alright."

Luigi looked doubtful. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive."

"Only if you say so. Can you answer my question now?"

"Oh, right. What was it again?"

"I was wondering if you want the big banner in the castle lobby or outside."

"The banner? I think in the lobby would be best."

"Okay, sounds good. Thanks for your help."

Peach saw him about to leave, but she stopped him. "Wait! Luigi?"

He turned around. "Yes, Princess?"

"Where's Mario?"

Luigi frowned after she asked him that. "I thought he would be here by now. Earlier this morning, I saw him look very tired."

"You did?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "He also sounded irritated about something. When I tried to ask, he told me to leave me alone."

Peach blinked, trying to conceal her shock. "He said that to you?"

Another nod came from Luigi. "At least he apologized. The thing is, I didn't want to rush him if he was in a bad mood. So, I told him to take his time before leaving. Mario told me that he'll be late, but he should come over at some point. I just don't know what's taking him so long. Do you happen to know, by any chance?"

"Of course not." The way she answered that sounded defensive. "Sorry."

"Princess?"

Peach closed her eyes before sighing. She leaned against the side of the door. "I don't know, Luigi. Mario really doesn't seem like himself for the past... several months. I believe something's wrong with him."

"I guess I'm not the only one who thinks that."

"You're concerned as well?"

"Of course I am! He's my brother!"

"It's just that... he doesn't seem to talk to me that much. He doesn't see me a whole lot, either. Besides the tennis tournament we had at the Kingdom of Bask, we've never really been close with one another for so long."

"I've noticed that as well. And please, don't remind of that again. I already made the mistake of grabbing Lucien unknowingly." ** _(4)_**

"Sorry, Luigi. Anyways, just this morning, I called Mario to see why he hasn't arrived yet. When I spoke, he didn't reply once. All I heard was nothing on his end of the line."

"Really?" Luigi's eyes widened a little.

"Yeah. And whenever I do get the chance to talk to him, he tries to change the subject. I keep asking him why he's avoiding my conversations, and it honestly hurts my heart that he doesn't seem to care anymore. I'm very concerned, Luigi."

"Do you want me to go back home and check on him?"

"You don't mind doing that?"

"No. If something went wrong, I should've figured it out by brotherly instinct. I mean, I've had this feeling for a while, but I think there's something we don't know about. I'll go ahead and find him. I'll report back to you as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Luigi. I sincerely appreciate your help."

"Anytime, Princess. I'll be back shortly."

Luigi gave a bow before he ran down the hall until he was out of sight. Peach laid her right hand on her cheek with her left supporting the elbow. Shaking her head, she was at a loss. Mario has acted strangely whenever she sees him, which was completely different than every other encounter in the past. She just didn't know why. Walking over to her balcony, she stared outside, seeing everyone in good spirits as they continued to prepare for Daisy's party. She barely saw Luigi leaving Toad Town as he made his way towards the Mario Bros.' home. Peach later looked up at the sky. The clouds slowly rolled across the morning sky. Clasping her hands over her chest, she made a silent prayer.

 _"Mario, what is going on? Why are you avoiding me?"_

* * *

 _Location: Cap Kingdom_

The Cap Kingdom was a monochromatic region filled with tons of locals known as Bonneters. These citizens were generally hat-like spirits. And fittingly enough, most of their home was associated with hats; the lampposts, the airships, the famous landmark known as Top-Hat Tower, heck, the entire continent was shaped like a top hat.

In the heart of this kingdom, all of this was found in the main location of Bonneton, a land full of dark vegetation surrounded by thick clouds of fog. It was also the same location where a special Bonneter had a run-in with a mustachioed man in red. He was currently spending some leisure time with his little sister in the Central Plaza.

"Big Brother, is it true that you'll be joining Mario in that big fighting event?" asked Tiara. **_(5)_**

"I sure am, Little Sis! Not only that, Princess Peach sent me a letter last week saying that she'll be thrilled to have me attend the party tomorrow. They're celebrating her friend's inclusion to the Smash community."

"That sounds wonderful!"

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention. Princess Peach mentioned I can bring a guest to the party."

Tiara gasped with excitement. "Wait, does that mean..."

"That's right, Tiara! I'm taking you with me!"

"Oh, thank you, Big Brother!" she grabbed ahold of Cappy's arms and spun around in circles. "I'm sure you'll do well! You and Mario are a great team together!"

"I'll be sure to help him out as much as I can. And-"

Cappy paused for a second when he noticed something in the distance. It was something he was _very_ familiar with.

"What's wrong, Cappy?"

"Why, it's the Odyssey!" he pointed up at the sky.

"Oh, you're right! But wait, isn't that your and Mario's airship?"

"Indeed. Which leads me to wonder; why is it approaching our home again?"

"Maybe Mario and Princess Peach want to pay us a visit."

"I guess that sounds logical. Let's go over and greet them!"

"Okay! Right behind you, Big Bro!"

The two Bonneters floated over the hills towards the usual landing spot. Once the Odyssey reached the ground, Mario opened the door and started to walk out. He slightly jumped and leaned back when he saw two pairs of eyes in front of him.

"Oh, Mamma Mia! Cappy! Tiara!"

"Hello, Mario!" they both greeted.

"You kind of freaked me out a little. I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Sorry about that," Cappy apologized.

"Is Princess Peach in there as well?" Tiara was so eager that she flew past Mario and went inside the airship. She also managed to miss Mario wearing a frown.

"Mario? What's the matter?" Cappy noticed his face. Although Mario hardly let his emotions be seen in public, the last time the top-hatted spirit saw him like this was when he first ran into him, exactly one year ago when he explained that Bowser ruined his home and kidnapped Tiara.

He remained quiet as Tiara exited the interior. "She's not in here," she furrowed her eyebrows. "Why is Peach not with you, Mario?"

The red plumber let out a long sigh. "I... went alone."

Blank stares came from the Bonneters. "That's it?" Cappy was dubious.

"Actually, Cappy, I need to talk to you. In private."

Tiara was confused and a little hurt that Mario wanted her to be excluded from the conversation. Cappy comforted her by patting her head. "Don't worry, Tiara. We'll get back to you as soon as possible. Why don't you go buy some ice cream?"

"Alright. Do you want anything, Big Bro?"

"Sure. I'll take a vanilla cone. Two scoops, please."

"Mario? Would you like any?"

" _Grazie_ , but I'm good, thank you."

"Are you sure?" She received a silent nod. "Okay. I'll see you guys later."

Once Tiara left the two alone, Mario laid a hand on his forehead. "I didn't mean to make your sister upset."

"I'm sure she knows you're not trying to be rude. If this is personal matters, then it's understandable. But speaking of that, what exactly do you want to see me for?"

"Come inside. We'll talk from there."

With the door shut and locked up, Mario took his seat in the chair on the left while Cappy occupied the other closest to the wardrobe and mirror. Lying against the mushroom-decorated pillows, the two got comfortable before they started to talk.

"So, Mario, tell me. What's on your mind?" Cappy felt like he was being a therapist considering Mario was not in a very cheerful mood.

"Cappy, do you know what day it is?"

"Saturday, right? I did check my calendar this morning."

"Well, yes. But I meant the date."

"Why, of course I know! It happens to be the same day you and I first met each other one year ago! I saw you lying on your stomach, unconscious. I tapped you to see if you would wake up, and you did. But you kind of startled me and I ran away from you," he embarrassingly chuckled. Mario actually got a laugh from that, too. "It was also the day we embarked on the biggest journey of our entire lives. Never have I ever experienced such thrills and scenery in a matter of hours. We traveled all around the world and saw tons of friendly faces and unfriendly faces, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do," he retained his smile.

"We stuck together like a well-oiled machine, collecting tens and hundreds of Power Moons so we could catch up to Bowser, stop the wedding, and save Peach and Tiara."

And the name of that one person brought Mario back to reality as he almost forgot the reason why he wanted to see Cappy in the first place. His grin disappeared under his black, bushy mustache.

His friend saw the change of emotion on his face. "Did I say something wrong?"

Mario quickly lifted his head toward him. "Oh, not at all, Cappy. It's just that..."

"What? You can tell me anything, Mario."

"Well..." he twiddled his thumbs for a while. "You remember what happened after we defeated Bowser, right?"

Cappy instantly knew where this was going. "Yeah. I vividly remember everything. The escape from the Moon's core was quite epic, actually. But, you're thinking about something else instead, correct?"

Mario nodded before he laid his head back on the chair. Another memory was about to haunt his mind. It was _that_ moment where he ruined his chances to be with her forever.

* * *

 _~Flashback_

 _..._

 _Location: Moon Kingdom_

Honeylune Ridge. This was the final destination of Bowser's journey as he prepared his marriage with Peach. But after Mario managed to defeat him, he was relieved to see Peach free from the ring she was trapped in. As it dissipated, she floated safely to the ground like every other moment when she was suspended in midair. By the time her high heels touched the arena's surface, she clasped her hands and stared at her hero in white. (That's because he was wearing a wedding outfit, courtesy of Cappy.)

 _"Mario..."_ she smiled from afar.

 _"Peach..."_

Seeing her just made his heart melt. He had seen instances of Peach in the Lochlady Dress that Bowser stole from the Lake Kingdom. But he never got the chance to admire her beauty. She looked absolutely stunning. Mario believed that now was the perfect time to make a move.

Mario ran over to his lover. He was getting closer to her. But soon after, a block of moon rock landed directly in between Mario and Peach. Suddenly, the place started to rumble. Cappy and Tiara's eyes appeared as they looked around with the others. Bowser still remained unconscious as stars circled over his head. Then, more moon rocks crashed behind Peach, causing her to jump and yelp with Mario. Five more dropped to the arena, surrounding them all.

Scared for her life, she called out to him. _"Mario!"_

He turned around and tried to sprint over to her. _"Peach!"_ **_(6)_**

 _"Cappy!"_ Tiara yelled for her brother.

 _"Tiara!" he returned._

Unfortunately, the entire floor fell apart with the moon rocks. Mario, Peach, Cappy, and Tiara plummeted to the dark abyss below with Bowser, screaming at the top of their lungs.

* * *

Slowly but surely, his senses started working again. Blinking his eyes open, Mario finally had the energy back to push off from the ground. He's had plenty of instances of experiencing large falls that he still couldn't believe he hasn't broken any bones in his body.

Cappy's eyes fluttered open on his top hat. Looking down, he had to ask him. _"You alright, Mario?"_

An exasperated sigh left his lips. _"Barely. Why is it so hot again?"_

 _"Probably because we're back in this underground dungeon."_

Mario looked around. _"But this doesn't look familiar to me."_ He managed to find Peach down the path.

 _"Ow..."_ Cappy groaned. _"Are those two alright?!"_

As Mario walked over, the rock he originally stood on started crumbling into the lava sea. Not wanting to fall off, he hurried over to Peach who was pacing back and forth.

 _"Peach!"_

 _"Mario! Oh my, I thought I almost lost you again. I didn't even see you from over there."_

 _"Well, I'm here now. But we need to find a way to get out of here."_

With the place crumbling again, Peach began to worry once more. _"Mario, what are we going to do?"_

Mario put a hand on his chin, thinking to himself. He was interrupted by Cappy who took a glance at Bowser laying nearby them, still unconscious from his defeat.

 _"Mario! Throw me!"_

 _"Where?"_

 _"At him!"_

He blinked. _"Are you serious?"_

 _"No time for questions! Just do it!"_

Mario was reluctant, but he listened to his hat companion. Cappy reverted to the Mario cap and stuck himself between Bowser's horns.

 _"Come on!"_ urged Cappy.

Mario started to rise up from the ground. His entire body went into Bowser's head, causing the Koopa King to flinch and grunt. After Peach was startled, she looked up at Tiara.

 _"What just happened?"_

 _"It's my brother's special ability to capture things. Whoever controls him can take the life form of a person or object as long as he's attached to something."_

 _"So you mean, Mario has possessed... Bowser?"_

 _"Your guess is correct."_

Meanwhile, Mario was yelling as he was being sucked into another dark expanse towards a large sphere of yellow light. Images of his previous encounters with Bowser and visuals of Princess Peach in the wedding dress flew past him as he got closer to the beacon. Eventually, he found himself at the end once the light absorbed his entire soul.

Back in the real world, Peach saw Bowser's body starting to move again. Curiously enough, she was convinced by Tiara that Mario was somehow in there. Hoping to get confirmation, she hesitantly got closer to Bowser who now had Mario's signature mustache on his muzzle.

 _"Hey, Mario? A-Are you there?"_

To her disbelief, she didn't see the fearsome, red eyes Bowser had. She was reassured by the clear blue pupils, which happened to be Mario's. 'Bowser' looked at her and nodded, prompting a smile on her face.

 _"Oh, my. This is quite a turn of events. But in this situation, maybe it'll be easier to escape."_

The Koopa grunted with determination as he slowly got up on his feet. Then, he lowered his left claw. He guided Peach over and lifted her to stand on his left shoulder. She held his horn tightly and 'Bowser' roared loudly.

 _"Whoa! Alright! Let's go, Mario!"_

For once in her life, she was being carried by the Koopa who had abducted her countless times for who knows how long. Only this time, 'he' was helping her get out of a tough situation.

* * *

After some perilous platforming and hardcore destruction, Mario managed to guide Bowser, Peach, Cappy, and Tiara out of the moon's underground dungeon. Escaping through the power of the spark pylon, they flew far away from the Wedding Hall and landed in an awkward fashion. Mario, Peach, and Bowser went flying in different directions. Thankfully, Mario had a somewhat soft landing on Bowser's head before scuffling on the surface. To his left, Peach floated safely, sighing of relief that they were out of that close call. The two walked towards each other.

 _"Wow. What an experience that was,"_ Mario mumbled, shrugging his shoulders.

 _"Yeah. It sure was,"_ Peach giggled.

Later, Cappy and Tiara flew off their partners' heads, grabbing each other's hands after being separated for so long.

 _"Cappy!"_

 _"Tiara!"_

The Bonneters were so delighted they spun around together and laughed in pure joy.

 _"Teehee, it looks like we're not the only ones who've reunited with someone."_

 _"Yeah. I always feel that way whenever I see your face."_ Mario paused when he said that. Peach stared down at him. Thankfully for him, she didn't look shocked by his statement. She was still smiling. And she still looked gorgeous in the Lochlady Dress. **_"Oh, boy. It's either now or never. Just do it. Ask her the question."_**

 _"Mario?"_ she caught him dazing.

He shook his head. _"Oh, sorry. Um, Peach? Do you remember how I did all that stuff for you before Bowser... took you away?"_

Her smile slightly faded. _"Yes?"_

Mario shifted his body to directly face her. _"You see, I didn't do it to just make you happy. I wanted to do it in return for what you mean to me."_

 _"Oh?"_ her curiosity piqued.

 _"I said that you're one of my best friends in the whole universe, and I would do anything to help you get back home safely if you were taken away by force or some unfortunate event. Truly, I hate it whenever we get separated. I want to live a life knowing that you're always by my side. Not just as a friend, but as something more than that, too."_

Peach's eyes bulged. Back when Mario took a knee in front of her at the Mushroom Kingdom, her intuition told her that he was about to propose to her. And now that it's happening again, she was anxiously waiting for the most important part of the process.

Mario walked over and reached for something in his back pocket. Cappy and Tiara watched with anticipation. _"Princess Peach Toadstool,"_ he began to kneel down, _"will you mar-OW!"_

Neither Mario, Peach, or even Cappy and Tiara saw it coming. Bowser regained consciousness and shoved Mario out of the way. He brought out the Soirée Bouquet he took from the Wooded Kingdom and offered it to her.

 _"For you, my precious."_

Mario looked over in shock and anger. How dare did he interrupt his chance at proposing?! And it happened _a second time_! What made it unsettling was the fact that Peach was entranced by the flowers.

Then, he made the worst mistake of his life.

Forgetting about the ring and his manners, his ego got the better of him as he grabbed the closest Rocket Flower and ran up to Peach, nudging Bowser in the arm. _"Peach, will you-"_

 _"Hey! Back off, plumber!"_ the Koopa slapped the back of Mario's head.

 _"Don't get in my way!"_

The two rivals kept pushing against each other as they shoved the flowers in front of Peach's face. The princess was disturbed by the impulsive moves they made that she didn't know what to do. Cappy and Tiara cringed in the background, feeling scared that something bad was going to occur soon.

And it did.

 _"ENOUGH!"_ she angrily stopped both men. _"Bowser, you tried to force my hand into marriage. I never wanted to marry you in the first place!"_

The plumber in white seemed a bit relieved, up until she stated his name.

 _"And you, **Mario**..."_

His face went pale at her stern voice.

 _"I expected better of you. I thought you were very mature. Instead, I see you fighting with Bowser as if I was a trophy."_ The ire was still there, but she looked more disappointed and hurt. _"I never thought you would act like this."_

Mario was speechless. Even Bowser was staggered at Peach's words.

 ** _"Ouch... That's gotta hurt,"_** Cappy felt sympathetic.

 _"And because of that, I won't accept either of your 'gifts' or your hands in marriage. Honestly, I need a break from all this drama. Now, if you please excuse me..."_

She sauntered past both Mario and Bowser with stunned faces and mouths agape. Peach sighed and looked at the Bonneters.

 _"Come on, Tiara. Come on, Cappy."_

With a bit of hesitation, they sluggishly followed Peach to the Odyssey. And behind them, Bowser sat down in utter despair. Mario, who held a hand against his spiked shell, was even more disappointed. He closed his eyes, his head tilted down and shaking as if he was guilty about something.

And boy, was he guilty.

 ** _"Did I really just do that?! What was I thinking?! I... I..."_** Mario never felt this emotional in his entire life. **_"Why? Why am I such a fool?!"_** Unbeknownst to anyone but himself, a teardrop released from his eyes.

When Peach made her way to the deck, she called out to the upset plumber and Koopa. Mario managed to wipe his eyes before lifting his face up.

 _"Hey! Let's go home!"_ Peach shouted while waving her hand.

The Odyssey started its engine and began to rise from the surface. As it was about to leave the moon, Bowser and Mario didn't want to get left behind, especially the latter (considering it's technically HIS airship).

Despite the moon's low gravity, Mario managed to run fast enough to get close. With a huge leap, he didn't have enough height to reach the deck. But he reacted with Bowser jumping as well. He pushed his feet off his head and used the momentum to make it aboard. As for poor Bowser, he fell back onto the Moon, all alone after his moon wedding went to shambles.

But now that Mario was on the Odyssey with Peach, it created a very awkward moment between them. Not a single word was spoken. Eventually, he gestured to Cappy to revert to his usual red hat and threw him at the door to open it up. Still keeping his mouth shut, he raised his hand, allowing Peach to enter inside. Peach maintained a frown, but she quietly gave a 'Thank you' to him. He barely heard her whisper. Regardless, he got the message.

It didn't mean that water was under the bridge.

Mario let Cappy go and told him to join Tiara and Peach and rest after a long, tiring adventure. Cappy asked if he wanted to join. To his discontent, he was given a silent shake of the head. Not wanting to disrespect his friend, the Bonneter floated inside. Mario told him to shut the door, to which Cappy obliged. The mustached man walked over to the side of the Odyssey, standing in front of the hat-shaped window and gripping the white railing. He looked at the lunar frontier as the Odyssey prepared to head back to the world below.

Its captivating appearance would make anyone stare in awe. But not even the wondrous view helped Mario wipe away the regret that became frozen in his heart and mind.

 _~End of flashback **(7)**_

* * *

Mario aimlessly stared at nothing for so long that he didn't realize Cappy was tapping him on the shoulder for the past few minutes.

"Hey, Mario? Mario! Are you awake?"

He shuddered and blinked his eyes before he regained his focus. He removed his hat and brushed his brown locks of hair with his hand.

"Mamma Mia... I'm sorry, Cappy."

"Don't apologize. I understand that it isn't the best thing to reminisce about."

"The problem is that I can't get it out of my head. Even after a year, you would think I have forgotten about it and moved on from the past. But it still triggers in my brain that I've been getting nightmares about it."

That intrigued Cappy. "You do?"

"Yes. And I've been avoiding her many times that I've lost count. The tennis tournament we had in the Kingdom of Bask was an exception, only because I got paired up with her and I didn't want to hurt her feelings by refusing."

Although Cappy didn't have a visible mouth, he was pitiful at Mario's well-being. "Is that why you traveled here alone?"

"Only to give her some space, mostly because I'm afraid to speak to her. My mistake was why I haven't been the same as I was before we rescued her and Tiara." He looked down at his lap. "I'm sorry, Cappy. Can I have a moment to myself?"

"Absolutely. Take as long as you need. I'll go find Tiara and tell her to wait for you. We'll probably linger around the Central Plaza."

"Okay. Thank you for talking."

"Anytime, pal," Cappy patted his shoulder. He flew over to the entrance and stopped to glimpse at Mario before leaving. He didn't bother raising his head. His eyes firmly planted below. Saddened by his friend's behavior, he quietly shut the door.

Mario covered his face with his hand. The index finger and thumb squeezed the sides of his eyes towards the bridge of his nose. It hadn't been ten seconds in since Cappy left the ship. But during that time, the plumber released a small sob from his mouth.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _And so, we come to the end of this chapter. Mario still can't find a way to get the bad memories out of his brain. Plus, Peach is unaware that his guilt is the reason why he keeps running away from her, thus extending his distance from her. How will things unravel for both characters?_

 _Let me know what you think down below. Please correct me for any issues on grammar, spelling, etc. Leave a follow/favorite if you like it so far and want to read more. Until then, thanks for reading, and I'll see you in Ch. 3! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _This was basically the purpose of the party. I decided to cross paths (in a way) with the upcoming release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate._

 ** _(2):_** _Poor Waluigi gets no love from Sakurai. To be honest though, the fact that he was revealed to be an Assist Trophy made it more hilarious to me._

 _Additionally, the supposed timeline of this story takes place before the Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct back on 11/1/18. Considering Piranha Plant's introduction to the roster was announced after the one-year anniversary of Super Mario Odyssey, that is why I didn't mention this at all. King K. Rool, however, was an exception._

 ** _(3):_** _Bowser has generally been the primary antagonist in a vast majority of the Mario Party games. But at least he got to be playable in Super Mario Party and actually left his role of dealing misfortune to other players for the first time in the series._

 ** _(4):_** _In the Adventure mode of Mario Tennis Aces, Mario and Peach were a doubles pair facing Bowser and Jr. in a championship match. This happened at the start before Luigi got possessed by the Infinity Rack-, I mean, Lucien, a legendary tennis racket that can control people._

 ** _(5):_** _As of this upload, Cappy has joined Mario to be part of his fighting maneuvers. His Bonneter form also appears to be a Spirit for the new 'Spirits' mode. (But he has yet to become a character tag for the Mario characters on FFN. SMH.)_

 ** _(6):_** _Legitimately, I'm pretty sure this is the first time Mario called out Peach's name since Charles Martinet provided the voice of him. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) To be honest, it still baffles me to this day._

 ** _(7):_** _Here is my expansion on the final part of the story. Of course, everyone's got an opinion about the actual ending, and not everyone is satisfied with it. My take on it? It's understandable that Peach would give a response to Mario and Bowser like that. Mario could've handled the situation better, but Nintendo needed something to happen for the conclusion, even if it meant a bitter rejection. I just didn't like how Peach decided to take off on Mario's airship, conspiring the idea to leave Mario on the moon with Bowser. But then again, what else can they do? I'm pretty sure that people have better ideas for the finale, but I'm not **that** creative enough to change the plot around. Nevertheless, the conclusion shouldn't distract us from the fact that Super Mario Odyssey was a fantastic game._


	3. Ch 3: Lost in Thought

_A/N:_ _We got another long intro here, so buckle your seatbelts and prepare to skip through all this if you want to._

 _After two chapters posted over a month, Distance has already reached at least **20 favorites** and **followers** to go along with **1,000 hits**. That is incredible!_

 _Shoutouts to DameFlemmarde,_ _bennybenediktsalathe,_ _danielman21, Oxford Haynes, and Aviationrocks10 for adding this as a favorite. TwinTerrorStorm, along with the last three I mentioned earlier, thanks for leaving a follow as well._

 _I would also like to thank FairyTalePrincess16, CrashBandit450, TwinTerrorStorm, Infinite's Ruby, seraangelqc, Steel Fairy, CrazyCartoonz, Oderus, Aviationrocks10, SpiderDom321, and the other Guests for reviewing._

 _But as for reviewer 'G', since you're also a guest, I'm going to reply back to you. I understand that not everyone would like this fanfic. It is OOC for Mario since he isn't the kind of guy to weep over something, and being unable to move on for a year sounds over the top. But the purpose was to put him in a different light that isn't normally seen based on his personality and how he is generally portrayed. And sure, the flashbacks may stretch out this story to the point where some might not be interested in reading, but I'm adding my own twist into this. All I can say is that if you don't like this story, I'm not going to force you to continue reading._

 _Besides that, we're now a week away from the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! That'll be very exciting! (My friends and I are going to fail our finals.)_

 _On another unrelated note, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, Stephen Hillenburg, is sadly gone. I was devastated when I heard about that earlier this week. My childhood wouldn't be as awesome if it weren't for him. Thank you so much for making millions of people entertained. RIP._

 _Lastly, I hope I didn't make anyone wait too long for a new chapter. Despite it being much shorter than the first two, let's get right back into it!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _This story features spoilers from Super Mario Odyssey, and I don't own any property of Mario or Nintendo._

* * *

 _"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight."_

 ** _~Benjamin Franklin_**

* * *

 **Chapter 3:** Lost in Thought

 _Location: Mushroom Kingdom_

Luigi jumped out of the green pipe and ran up to the front porch. He inserted the key and rushed inside the house.

"Mario?! Are you still here?"

The first place he searched was his bedroom. He noticed that his door was barely open. Pushing it aside, he was surprised to find it completely empty.

"Where is he?" he mumbled to himself.

He looked in the bathroom, his own room, and the attic. With no luck, Luigi returned downstairs and sought the living room. To his discontent, he wasn't there either.

"Did he already leave for the castle?" he wondered. "Did I just not see him?"

Finally, he checked the kitchen where he left Mario's breakfast before he went to the castle. He saw that all the dishes were clean, but there was something else on the table. It was a white slip of paper with text written in red ink. He grabbed it and read the message in his head.

...

 _Luigi,_

 _I'm afraid something has come up urgently, and I can't come to the castle to finish setting up the party. If you're wondering why the Odyssey is missing from the backyard, it's because I took it with me. I'm really sorry to tell you this on such short notice. I promise I'll be back by tonight. Love you, fratellino._

 _~Mario_

...

Luigi frowned in confusion as he placed the note down. He wasn't upset that he found out his older brother was gone. He didn't feel this way because he broke his promise. It was the fact that he left without saying the actual reason.

"The princess is not going to be happy about this. I don't even know what to tell her!"

He took a seat at the table. Picking the note up again, he held it with one hand while placing the other on the side of his head, pondering why Mario departed in the first place. His only assumption was the confrontation he had with him that morning.

"I really hope I didn't make him mad earlier. He said that he wasn't, but could I have driven him away? I sure hope not."

While Luigi continued to wonder where in the world was Mario, he didn't want to keep Peach waiting. She had to know the truth. And he had to help the Toads finish the party decorations. Sighing heavily, he folded the note and shoved it in the back pocket of his overalls. He locked up the house and made his way back to the castle. Before entering the pipe, he watched the white clouds roll by, hoping to see the Odyssey return home so he could talk to his sibling. He had a feeling that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

* * *

 _Location: Cap Kingdom_

After he left Mario to give him some privacy, Cappy made his way to the Central Plaza where he saw his sister holding two ice cream cones.

"Here you go, big brother! Two scoops of vanilla, just what you asked for!"

"Thanks, Tiara! I appreciate it."

"What are you doing here? I thought Mario wanted to talk to you."

"He did. But after a while, he said he needed some time to himself."

Tiara's eyes became half-lidded, concern expressed on her face. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, but it's sort of confidential to him, you know?"

"Oh. Well, I sure hope he's alright."

"I feel the same way, too."

Back at the Odyssey, Mario rubbed the sleeve of his shirt over his face, wiping out the sweat on his forehead. He already stopped crying, yet he was unable to bring himself up on his own feet.

He loathed himself.

Peach had been aware of his unconventional behavior for far too long. No matter how many times she asked him why he was acting this way, all he did was push her aside, acting like nothing's wrong and that she shouldn't have to worry about a thing. He knew how rude it was to do it to someone like her, and his heart hurt tenfold knowing he repeated this over and over again. Giving an apology was simple enough if he didn't freeze every time that he saw her face. Avoiding eye contact never solved his problems, and the awkward tension continued to build up inside.

Mario wanted to repair his relationship with Peach, but he was afraid that he was going to make things worse if he said the wrong thing. In his head, the two were nothing but friends. That word had played a role between the two for many years, but at least it was used in a good fashion. Mario hoped that the spark was still there. The idea of it being permanently gone also clouded his thoughts.

Grumbling, the man laid back as his hands reached under his hat and gripped his hair. He needed more help. Even though talking to Cappy made things a bit better, he was still lost. His options were limited: seek the courage to finally speak with the princess, or extend his distance even further away from her. If he chose the first alternative, he was worried that Peach will give him another cold response. If he decided to go with the latter, he would lose more of her trust. He was very indecisive at the moment.

After he contemplated for a while, he made his decision. First, he needed to see Cappy and Tiara before leaving Bonneton.

The plumber finally got up from his chair and stretched his arms out with a slight grunt. He exited the airship and ran over the dark hills. Jumping across the Glasses Bridge, he found the Bonneters near the Crazy Cap stand.

"Cappy? Tiara?"

"Oh, Mario! I almost didn't see you there!" his hat friend replied.

"I was just going to say thanks for taking the time to listen."

"Hey, you're welcome, buddy!"

"Do you feel alright, Mario?" Tiara asked.

He managed to show a genuine smile, even if it was small. "I'm okay. But I have to take care of some errands. I'm just not ready to talk about it. Eventually though, I'll make it my goal to complete it by tomorrow before the party begins."

Cappy had an idea of what Mario was talking about. "Well, whatever the case may be, I hope things will turn out fine."

"I hope so, too, Cappy. For now, I think I'll be heading off."

"So, I guess we'll meet you tomorrow at the castle?"

"Yes, Tiara. I'll see you two until then."

"Wonderful!" she twirled in the air with joy. "I can't wait to visit Peach again!"

Mario retained his small grin even though his heart skipped a beat. _"Yeah... And I have to see her at some point. I just don't know when."_

"Hope you make it back home safely, Mario!" the male Bonneter waved at him.

"Thanks, Cappy. Bye, Tiara," the man tipped his cap.

"See you soon!"

As Mario returned to his ship, the ramp folded back into the platform, and the golden propellers began spinning. He wasn't ready to go home yet. Instead, the Odyssey flew up and headed further east on the globe. There was another person he wanted to discuss his issues. He knew this person long before he even met Peach. And since they had a reputation of engaging in thoughtful conversations, he was hoping to earn some guidance.

Where was his next destination? The Metro Kingdom. And who was he planning to see? None other than the mayor of the capital city.

* * *

It didn't take long for Luigi to return to the front courtyard. He walked up to the castle door and was about to push them open. But considering his luck, the doors were pushed towards him, knocking him in the nose.

"OW!" he fell backward.

"Oh! Sorry about that, Luigi!"

He rubbed the spot he got hit before looking up. Toad and Toadette stood in front of him while holding a large, tangled pile of lights. He got up and brushed off his clothes. "It's okay, guys. It was just an accident."

"We didn't expect you to come back. Actually, we didn't even know you left at all," the pink-plaited Toad replied.

"I had to run back to my house. I was helping Peach with something."

"What were you doing for her?"

"And where's Mario?" inquired Toad. "Shouldn't he be here by now?"

Both of them saw the green man fret. "That's why I went home. Peach and I were wondering why Mario hasn't shown up yet. When I searched the place, he was gone. At first, I assumed he might have headed over and I just missed him. But then I realized that he actually went somewhere else."

"He did?" Toad was skeptical.

"Yeah. The Odyssey is gone."

"He flew on his airship?" Toadette tilted her head.

"Where to?"

"I don't know!" Luigi shouted, startling the Toads who dropped the lights.

"Oh, man! I hope none of the bulbs cracked!"

"I'm sorry..."

"It's alright, Luigi. You didn't mean to. Don't worry, we'll take care of this."

"Okay. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see Princess Peach."

"I think I saw her head down to the kitchen. She's likely preparing a big cake for the party."

"Thanks, Toadette. I'll see you guys later."

Luigi scuffled past the other busy workers before he entered the large kitchen. True to Toadette's words, he noticed the pink princess at a counter with two other Toads, one with blue dots and the other had yellow. They were all looking at a recipe book, deciding what kind of dessert to whip up for her friend.

"Ahem," Luigi cleared his throat to get her attention.

She turned around. "Oh, Luigi. You startled me."

"Sorry. Toadette said that you were here, and I needed to speak with you. Privately," he added.

Peach blinked for a second. "I see. Um, okay. Head upstairs to my room," she allowed him to go early. "Toads, you can start preparing. I think we'll do a chocolate cake topped with oranges and strawberries. **_(1)_** We can also bake cupcakes with orange cream cheese frosting."

They nodded and went over to the sink to wash their hands. Peach sluggishly walked up the steps. She couldn't imagine what happened this time. Did Mario refuse to go? Was he sick? Has Bowser done anything terrible? It rarely occurred, but she vividly remembered the one time when Mario was in trouble and she was the one who had to do the rescuing. **_(2)_** Setting those notions aside, Peach reached the outside of her room where she saw Luigi patiently waiting in the hallway. She opened it and allowed her friend to enter first.

"You can sit down on my chair if you would like."

"Thanks, but I'm perfectly fine standing up."

"You sure?"

"Mm-hmm."

Peach decided to sit down. "So, did you find out? Where is he?"

Luigi scratched the back of his head. The heel of his foot kept moving back and forth, displaying how uncomfortable he was.

"Luigi?"

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Trying to stay calm, he reached his right hand into his back pocket. Peach watched curiously as he took out a folded piece of paper. He extended his arm to her, prompting the princess to take it. When she grabbed the note, she unfolded the creases one at a time. Luigi gulped nervously as she revealed the whole letter. He was both unsure and scared at what her reaction would be. Peach's eyes moved from her left and to her right, taking in each word as she read down the lines. Once she was finished, the world felt like it stopped. She blinked twice before biting her lower lip. She then raised her head at Luigi, wearing a sympathetic look on his face.

"Where did he run off to?"

Luigi's eye met the carpet as he merely shrugged. "I wish I knew. He left the note before he disappeared. I couldn't find him in the house, and the Odyssey was gone, too."

"You mean, he's traveling somewhere?"

"That's probably the most logical answer to your question. What I don't know at all is where he went."

Peach furrowed her eyes. She raised a hand and placed it over her heart, beating unevenly after finding out about this revelation.

"Maybe he went to Sarasaland?" Luigi threw in a random guess.

"Why would he fly there?"

"To see Daisy. I doubt that he's going to spoil the surprise party. Mario isn't the kind of guy to do something like that. But I don't know. Maybe you can call her and see for yourself. Believe me, Princess. I'm just as worried as you are."

"I mean, I suppose it's worth a try."

"I'll leave you alone. I'm going to finish the banner if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Thanks for helping, Luigi."

He gave a tiny grin, tipping his cap. "Anytime, Peach."

After he closed the door, Peach went over to the phone and contacted the Sarasaland princess. A few dial tones played before she heard her friend on the other line.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Daisy. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, Peach! What's up?"

"You see, I have an important question to ask you."

"Sure. Shoot it right at me."

"Have you seen Mario in Sarasaland at all?"

A long pause lingered for several seconds. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Mario, he's not here in the Mushroom Kingdom. Is he in yours?"

"I... don't think. At least I'm not aware of it. Why do you ask?"

"Luigi and I were busy... with something," she almost spilled the secret. "Mario was supposed to assist us as well, but he never showed up. And when Luigi searched his home, he was nowhere to be found."

"Really? That's kind of odd."

"Additionally, he said that the Odyssey was not there either."

"So, he must've gone somewhere," Daisy got the point.

"Exactly. Luigi suggested to call you and see if he had flown to Sarasaland or not."

"Now I understand. I'm sorry, Peach, but I'm looking outside my bedroom window right now, and I don't see his airship at all. Not in the sky, not on the ground, nowhere in Chai... Unless he's gone to one of the other provinces, I don't think he's here."

"Oh, dear. I was afraid you were going to say that."

"Peach, I'm sure Mario is fine. Whatever he's doing, it must be very important."

"I guess so."

"But then again, he should at least owe you guys an apology for bailing out on whatever you're doing. Because if you needed his help and he decided not to join, that was very rude of him."

"I'm sure he didn't mean to be. I also heard from Luigi that he was disheveled."

"What do you mean?"

"He described Mario as a mess. Luigi figured something was wrong, but Mario denied. He even yelled at his brother."

"He did?" Daisy sounded a bit angry.

"Yeah. What I'm saying is that Mario hasn't been normal for months now. Have you ever seen him acting strange or out of the ordinary?"

"Hmm... now that you mention it, I have seen some moments where he seemed to avoid talking to you."

"That's what I've noticed as well! I really feel like he's losing interest in me. I can't help but think that _I_ have done something to initiate this problem."

"Honestly, I can't possibly deliberate what you've done."

"I don't know, Daisy. It's just a gut feeling."

"Then, give him some more time. If it's personal to him, he probably wants to resolve everything on his own."

"I just wish I can help him."

"Maybe you could. Now's just not the right time."

"But when _is_ the right time, Daisy?! It's been months! I can never get the chance to talk to him because he'll always find a way to avoid me! What if he doesn't want to talk to me forever?"

"I'm really sorry you feel this way, Peach. I sincerely do. But all I can say is that you have to be patient. Let him take the opportunity to get his act together before you try to rush things. But if you truly think that he's gone too far or does it one too many times, you need to be assertive towards him. Explain to him that you won't stand up to him shunning you. Lay the line down to him. Be open and passionate about your thoughts, but don't be uptight."

She sighed heavily, looking at outside her window. "Okay, Daisy. I'll take in your advice."

"You bet you will." Peach had to giggle at that. "Don't worry, Peach. I'm sure you two will work things out soon."

"I hope so. Thanks for talking."

"No problem. It's great to hear from you as well. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Okay. Bye, Daisy."

Peach sulked as she hung up the phone and sat down on the edge of her mattress. Feeling stressed out, she lied down, staring up at the white ceiling. Beforehand, she wondered why Mario kept avoiding her on multiple occasions. Now, she wanted to know why Mario fled again and where did he go this time. She refused to think of negative feelings because doing so would make her life more complicated than it was. Yet she couldn't help it.

"Mario, please... I just want to talk to you," she whimpered.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Looks like Mario isn't the only one who has issues with another person. Then again, that was kind of implied in Ch. 2. Can Peach figure out why Mario has been avoiding her? And speaking of the red-clad man, what'll happen when he reaches New Donk City?_

 _As always, thanks for reading! Let me know what you think by reviewing down below, follow/favorite for more chapters, and I'll see you next time when Mario revisits Mayor Pauline in Ch. 4 of Distance!_

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _I envisioned it as one of those cakes you decorate in the minigame 'Sugar Rush' from Mario Party 8. I don't know if Daisy has any favorite foods, so I went with chocolate and oranges, the latter matching her color scheme._

 ** _(2):_** _This is referring to Super Princess Peach for the Nintendo DS. It's the only game to date where Peach played the role as the protagonist and Mario became the plumber in distress under Bowser's reign (basically a role reversal)._


	4. Ch 4: Meeting with the Mayor

_A/N:_ _Special thanks to Mariogeek, FantasyLover88, and Anonymous Girl Gamer for adding Distance as a favorite story. Alongside AGG and Mariogeek, I also appreciate the reviews from Steel Fairy, Infinite's Ruby, FairyTalePrincess16, GirlOnDarkerSide, Oderus, and the three Guests._

 _Today, we're getting to the part where some of you guys will either be excited, disappointed, cringing, or maybe all three. (I don't know.) Also, keep in mind that the plot of this story still takes place prior to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, despite the fact that the game will be released this Friday. I also did some editing to fix the previous chapters. Other than that, please enjoy!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Mario and Nintendo are not owned by me. Spoilers to Super Mario Odyssey are referenced in this fanfic._

* * *

 _"You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control."_

 ** _~Megan Chance (from 'The Spiritualist')_**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:** Meeting with the Mayor

 _Location: Metro Kingdom_

If anyone wanted to enjoy an urban lifestyle, this kingdom had it all. The Metro Kingdom was a bustling area full of city folk, taxicabs, skyscrapers, and just about anything that was typically found in a metropolis. All of it was found in the heart of the continent.

Also known as the 'The Big Banana' or 'The city that never leaps', New Donk City was the grandest place of the Metro Kingdom. Many tourists chose this spot to travel, mostly because they wanted to explore the landscape. Tons of buildings were scattered everywhere. The New Donk City Hall boasted as the tallest skyscraper of them all. The city also featured a Slots Room, an RC Car Room, a Projection Room with an 8-bit theater screen, and many other attractions. People enjoyed sitting on a bench and attracting some birds, walking around while basking in the sunlight, taking a fantastic view of the skyline regardless of the time of day, or playing a game of jump rope, as long as they didn't have to make one hundred consecutive jumps without messing up. **_(1)_**

What most people didn't know about this location was the fact that this was where Mario first met Pauline long before she became Mayor. Dating back to his oldest adventure, the red plumber had to climb multiple girders and ladders to reach the top where Pauline was held captive from Cranky Kong. **_(2)_** The two then shared a love interest for a while up until things didn't work out in the long run. Despite their former relationship, they remained as mutual friends, especially when she was invited to be the guest of honor for the grand opening of Super Mini Mario World. Donkey Kong became the main source of trouble when he followed in his grandfather's footsteps and kidnapped Pauline on numerous occasions. ** _(3)_** The kidnappings didn't happen as frequent as Bowser snatching Peach, but Mario was always there to her rescue.

Then, years have gone by without any action. The two hadn't been in touch until he and Cappy arrived at New Donk City in the middle of a heavy rainstorm. At the moment, a Mechawiggler consumed the city's power after Bowser posted large advertisement posters of his wedding invitation all over the buildings. When Mario saw Pauline in distress (only for a different reason), a bit of nostalgia hit his heart. What he didn't expect was her taking on such a major role. But he had to admire her ambitions. After saving the city, gathering musicians to set up a band, and restoring the underground power plant, Pauline was very thankful of Mario's help that she decided to host a celebratory festival for him.

Between then and now, the only times Mario had seen Pauline was at Bowser's Moon Wedding and back at New Donk City when he and Cappy decided to search for more Power Moons. Again, it had been a long time since the two have talked with each other. This streak was about to end right now.

The Odyssey landed at its usual spot. Since Cappy wasn't with him, Mario couldn't use the spark pylon to teleport. Thankfully, there was a bridge that connected from the southern heliport to the central area, courtesy of the New Donkers' construction work. As he reached the Main Street Entrance, a couple of New Donkers noticed the plumber.

"Hello, Mario!" a tall man greeted him warmly. "Nice to see you on the streets of New Donk once again."

Mario smiled at his hospitality. "Thanks. It's great to be back."

"What brings you here today?" a blonde woman nearby asked him.

"I was wondering where Pauline is. I was hoping to talk to her for a minute."

"Ah, yes. The mayor! She should be at the city hall where she usually works at."

"She's been quite busy for the past few months. And she's already excited for the upcoming Smash Tournament coming up soon."

Mario nodded and tipped his cap. "Okay. Thanks for your help."

He decided to stroll along the sidewalk rather than run or take a ride on a motor scooter. He really admired the beauty of this urban setting. There was always something around every corner that caught Mario's eyes. And the friendly population made this place full of life and charisma.

By the time he reached the enormous skyscraper, he entered inside the plaza where he saw the Super Mario Players band practicing their music. They all gave a wave to him to which he returned the gesture. He headed over to the lobby. A female New Donker with short, dark brown hair sat behind the receptionist desk, taking a phone call.

"Okay, I'll make sure to tell the mayor as soon as possible. You have a great day. Thanks! Buh-bye." After she hung up the phone, she saw Mario approach the desk. "Good morning, Mario!"

"Hello, Ms. Julie," he read the nameplate in front of him.

"Please, you can just call me Julie. What can I do for you today?"

"I was wondering if I can speak to Mayor Pauline."

"Hmm... Let me check her schedule really quick." She started typing away on the computer. "How urgent do you need to see her?"

"Well, it's not that urgent. But I'd like to see her as soon as possible."

"Okay, give me one minute." The clicking sounds of the keyboard made Mario a bit uneasy. The look on the receptionist's face didn't make it any better. "It looks like most of her day is booked, unfortunately. She's supposed to have a meeting right now. Maybe if she is willing to cut some time off from her lunch break, which starts in about forty-five minutes, that's the best I can set up an appointment. Of course, I would need her authorization first."

"I don't mind waiting that long. I would really appreciate any sort of help."

"Okay. Let me give her a call." Julie picked up the phone and dialed the mayor's office number. Mario anxiously waited, but there was a long period of silence. "Her end of the line is currently busy at the moment."

"I guess she probably didn't want anything to interrupt her meeting. That's understandable."

"Sorry about that, Mario."

"It's okay. At least you tried to help."

"You could have a seat right behind you. Maybe I can contact her before her lunch hour."

"Thank you, Julie."

"My pleasure!"

Mario headed over to the chairs and made himself comfortable. He grabbed a newspaper from a nearby table titled _The New Donk Times_. **_(4)_** The top featured images of the New Donk City Hall, as well as the band and Pauline in her stylish red halter neck dress. The opening article explained the announcement that the New Donkers were building a stage for the fighters to combat on. Pauline and the Super Mario Players were going to be the entertainment party as they perform their music live during the battle. He skimmed through more of the section, reading the interviews and the details on how the stage will play out.

After a while, Mario slowly started to doze off. The newspaper eventually slipped out of his fingers as his head laid back against the wall.

* * *

 _Location: ?_

Mario didn't know what happened. As soon as he woke up, all he could see was white. The place was bare, full of nothing.

"What the heck? Why am I here? Wasn't I in New Donk City?"

He spun around, hoping to find something. He had no idea where he was or why he was here in the first place. Then, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw something. Or rather, someone. There was a person standing from far away. Mario squinted as he held a hand over his eyes. He then realized it was someone he knew very well. He saw the back of a tall woman with long blonde hair, a pink dress, and a crown on her head. He didn't need to guess twice on who she was. It only made his heart race.

"Is that really her?" he started to doubt himself. He figured that this had to be a dream. Why wouldn't it be? Still, if this was real, he wanted to make the most out of it.

Mario decided to run towards her. He got closer up until he was twenty feet away. He slowed his pace and walked the rest of the way until he was at a respectable distance. When he stopped, Mario closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and got himself ready.

"Peach, I want to-" He paused when he realized that she wasn't standing in front of him anymore. "Huh? "Peach? Peach?! Where did you go?"

Out of nowhere, the blank environment slowly turned dark. As if things didn't get much creepier, flames appeared around him. He couldn't care less that he was sweating from the heat. He wanted to know what was going on.

"Mario!"

He turned around when he heard her voice. "Peach, where are you?!"

"Mario, help me!"

"Hang on, Peach! I'm coming!"

Daringly, he got himself a running start and leaped over the fire. He continued in the direction of where he heard the princess. More flames appeared from both sides of him, yet Mario kept running.

Suddenly, the floor rumbled beneath his feet. He tried to regain his balance, but it broke apart. He started screaming as he fell hundreds of feet into an endless abyss. Mario thought he was done for until he landed on his stomach.

"Mamma Mia..." he muttered, holding his head from the hard fall he experienced. After he fixed his hat and wiped the debris off his overalls, he paused. Taking in his surroundings once again, he found himself in a familiar place. Craters and ridges were found on the surface. A view of the home planet was behind him. The sound of a bell rung loudly from a faraway building.

He was back at Honeylune Ridge. He had returned to the Moon Kingdom.

"What the... Why am I back here?!"

Seconds later, he saw something he didn't expect. He witnessed _himself_. More specifically, the Mario who was dressed in his wedding outfit and flew from the spark pylon with Peach and the unconscious Bowser after escaping the inner depths of the moon.

"W-Why am I seeing this again?! I don't want to relive this!" He shut his eyelids and clenched his fists. "Come on, Mario! Wake up! This is definitely a dream, and you know it! Get out of this nightmare!"

When he reopened his eyes, he was about to faint. He saw himself walking over to Peach.

"What are you doing?! Don't try to propose, you _idiota_! You know what's going to happen!"

"You know they can't hear you, right?"

Mario froze. He carefully looked behind him. His eyes widened in shock. The princess in pink stood near him.

"P-Peach?! B-But how?! You're here, but you're also over there!" he pointed at the princess in the wedding dress.

"This is an illusion, Mario."

"So, are you-"

She shook her head. "I'm also not real. I'm just a figment of your imagination."

Mario was already confused enough that he had no freaking idea what to do. As if things didn't get worse, he heard Peach ranting at Bowser. Then, she heard him sternly talk to him. Well, his imaginary self. He was forced to see her leave the two of them as she strolled over to the Odyssey. His heart broke again as he relived that particular moment, only in a convoluted perspective.

He turned to face the fake Peach. "Why is this happening to me?"

The woman in pink shrugged. "You tell me. Why _is_ this happening to you? Why can't you tell me how you feel, or more importantly, why have you been avoiding me?"

Mario became more guilty by the second. "It's not you, Peach. It's me. I caused a rift between us, and I was upset that I possibly ruined our relationship."

"If that's the case, then why can't you say that to the _real_ me?"

Mario blinked with his mouth slightly open, unable to reply an answer.

"That's what I thought. Unless you're willing to admit your feelings, this is goodbye, Mario."

"No, Peach... Don't do this!"

Soon after, she disintegrated into dust. Mario tried to lunge at her, but he was too late.

"Peach, come back!"

Then, the moon and everything around him faded away. He began to fall once again. Only this time, he saw a massive black hole like the ones from his galaxy adventures. It was threatening to consume him forever.

"Peach, I'm sorry!" he shouted before he disappeared in the darkness.

* * *

"Mario? Mario?"

"No... No... P-Peach..."

"Mario! Mario, wake up!"

"Huh?!" The plumber jumped out of his seat and woke up with a startled look on his face. Julie looked over at him with concern.

"My goodness. At least you're now awake."

Mario took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. "Did I fall asleep?"

"You did. I was busy looking over some files before I heard noises from you. You started to stir around and mumble. At first, I thought it wasn't that serious until you started to panic."

"I... I did?"

Julie nodded. "Are you okay?"

He placed the hat back on his head. "I honestly don't know."

"Well, if you want any good news, I spoke with the mayor, and she was kind enough to spend her lunch break with you. She only has thirty minutes before she must return to work."

He felt a bit relieved. "Oh, thank you so much for your help."

"It's my pleasure," Julie smiled. "You can head over to her office. It's down the hall, two doors to your right. Her name should be found outside her door."

"Perfect. _Grazie_ again."

Mario didn't have any trouble finding Pauline's office. He approached the door with a rectangular golden plaque and her name engraved on it. He knocked and waited for a response.

"Come in."

Mario opened the door and saw his friend sitting behind her desk.

"Ah, Mario," Pauline grinned. "It's wonderful to see you again. You can close the door and take a seat." He nodded and did what he was told. She rotated in her office chair to grab a silver tray and placed it on her desk. "Would you like a finger sandwich? I've got chicken and cucumber, egg salad, and the traditional ham and cheese."

Since he hadn't eaten since breakfast, Mario politely grabbed a ham and cheese off the tray. Pauline chose chicken and cucumber to go along with the rest of her lunch: a banana, a bottle of iced coffee, and a fresh slice of chocolate cake, her favorite dessert when it's not store-bought or from a vendor. **_(5)_**

She took a bite out of her sandwich. "So, Mario, what did you want to talk about today?"

"Um, well, this is kind of personal, but I was hoping to get an honest opinion from you."

"You can ask me anything, Mario. After all, I am your friend."

He smiled a little knowing that Pauline was there to listen. "Do you remember the old days when we started dating?"

Pauline didn't expect to hear a question like that, but she thought long and hard to come up with an answer. "I mean, I kind of do. But ever since I decided to run for mayor, I don't reminisce about the past very often. Ever since Cranky captured me, I wanted to move past that traumatic moment. So, I built up the courage to practice talking to others, being a good leader, and making a difference to the community."

"And I've seen how you manage to accomplish that. You're still doing a fantastic job running this city."

"Thank you, Mario. Anyway, what does our past have to do with you being here?"

"Um, you see..."

"Hold on," she interrupted. "I apologize, but... you aren't trying to ask me to get back together, are you?"

"W-What? I-I mean... no. I didn't come here for that. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean that in a bad way. I've kind of moved on from that as well. I'm still happy that we're friends even though we don't talk a whole lot like we used to, especially since you've been running New Donk for a long time."

"Okay. Sorry for jumping to conclusions."

"No, you're fine. It's just that... are you aware of what happened at the wedding?"

"Which one?"

"You know, Bowser's wedding? The one that almost happened on the moon?"

"Oh, that. I do remember. Princess Peach was about to be married to that atrocious beast. You made it just in time before everything fell into place."

"Yeah. But do you know what happened after that?"

"I honestly cannot recall," she finished her chicken and cucumber and took a sip of her coffee.

Mario gulped and looked down at his lap. "After we escaped from the moon's core, I tried to propose to Peach. Then Bowser came in to ruin it, and I only made it worse. Because of that... she rejected me."

Although she wasn't a witness, Pauline had heard rumors of what happened after the moon wedding crashed. She didn't know the full details. However, she now remembered hearing something about a rejection. Pauline realized what Mario was talking about.

Minutes after she finished her sandwich and fruit, she went onto dessert. "So, you came here to talk about what occurred a year ago?"

"It's not just that. Every day, I have some sort of nightmare regarding the incident that makes me more guilty. I even told Cappy this when I visited him in Bonneton earlier today."

"Does Peach know about your nightmares?"

His face remained still. "I haven't had the courage to speak to her. I've seen her in basically every kingdom Cappy and I explored when we tried to catch up to Bowser's airship. And I would see her and Tiara enjoying themselves. Whenever I got close to them, or if they spotted us, they would call us over, start a small conversation, and give us a Power Moon. It's just that every time I did go up to them, Cappy was the one who did most of the talking on our side. I usually stayed quiet without looking at her face."

Pauline frowned, setting her fork down. "How long has that been going on?"

"Since she rejected me," Mario twiddled his thumbs.

"And has she ever noticed your behavior?"

"I'm pretty sure she has."

"What does that supposed to mean?"

"Whenever she tried to talk to me, I make up a dumb excuse to either not see her or leave. I just wanted to give her some space because I feel like I'm always creeping up at her, especially when Cappy and I found her in the other kingdoms. My initial thought was to stay away from Peach, but Cappy probably wanted to see his sister, so I didn't want to be disrespectful. Only in the tennis tournament have Peach and I been close to each other, and that's because we basically got paired up with each other by force. To this day, I can't bring myself to meet her face to face."

A light bulb popped up in Pauline's head. "So, you flew to both the Cap Kingdom and here so you can avoid her again and talk about your problems?"

Mario sighed as he covered his forehead. "Yes. All because I can't move on from my slip-up. I don't know how. That's what I wanted to ask you. How do I move on from this?" Mario leaned forward, gripping the brim of his hat tightly. "I screwed up. Everything about us fell apart. My chances of being with her, the friendship we shared since I first rescued her, and the fact that she doesn't love me anymore."

The mayor genuinely felt bad for Mario. She never really had a problem with Peach. At first, she was a bit jealous that he had seemed to find a potential soulmate. But it seemed that the only relationship they had was falling under the roles of hero and damsel in distress, respectively. Despite being his ex, she wanted Mario to be happy with who he wanted to be with. He deserved to live a life with a person he truly cared about and who felt the same way towards him. Peach was ideal, but Mario doesn't think so.

Then, Pauline remembered the last thing he said.

"What makes you say that she doesn't feel that way?"

Mario finally raised his head to face her. "What?"

"Why do you think Peach doesn't reciprocate your love?"

He blinked twice. "Isn't it obvious? I treated her like a prize, not a princess. I shoved a flower in her face because I was trying to marry her and outdo Bowser. Except, I didn't give her a choice. I _wanted_ her to say 'yes'. After my misbehavior, she scolded my actions, which I rightfully deserve. That's why she doesn't love me, and our friendship is at an impasse."

"But how can you say that when you don't tell her how you're feeling?"

The plumber opened his mouth, only to close it soon after. It almost sounded similar to what the Peach in her dream asked him. As weird as it sounded, both were right.

"Let me ask you this. Do you remember when we set up the city festival and that I invited you to participate?"

"Of course."

"And do you recall the song that I sang during the event?"

"I do. Some of the lyrics are coming back to me."

"Well, speaking of the lyrics, do you know who they were directed towards?"

Mario didn't take long to answer. "Me?" he pointed at himself.

"Correct. The citizens and I wanted to repay you for your hard work of reshaping New Donk City back to its former glory before Bowser caused chaos. And the song I co-wrote with the band shared my feelings towards you, highlighting your personality, charm, and heroics."

"Really?"

"Yes. That night was one of the few moments I thought about you and what you have done to help me out. I figured I wanted to share my appreciation through one of my favorite hobbies. That is how I had the courage to explain my sentiments."

"Wow. I never thought of it that way."

Pauline bobbed her head as she finished the rest of her iced beverage. "Let me ask you another question. How much did you love Peach before she declined your proposal?"

Mario rested his cheek on his right knuckle, evaluating his true feelings. "I know we never really became a true couple. She would give me a peck on the nose or cheek on some occasions after I rescue her from trouble. But I loved her."

"How much though?"

"Very. Like I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her until I die."

"Mario, if you've been evading her for the past year, not only it is impolite, it's not the niftiest thing to do."

"I know. And the more I don't see her, the more I feel worse about it. I already made things terrible after my failed proposal."

"Honestly, if I put myself in your shoes, I would've been straight up to her and explain the predicament. Considering Peach isn't the kind of person who ignores others, I'm almost certain she would want to take the time to hear your reasoning. Running away from your problems won't solve them. It makes things more stressful. I think that's why you've retained your guilt and had those nightmares. Because what you think was best is actually hurting not just you, but Peach as well."

Mario understood her feedback. "I never meant to hurt her heart. But I'm doing it right now as we speak. And since I avoided her again, she must be worried sick of me."

"I concur with that. I know how much you two click together. Of course, relationships are never going to be perfect. There will be moments where you may have a disagreement, a bad moment, or some sort of tragedy that befalls upon you. One way you can restore that bond is to talk it out. And that's what you should do the next time you see Peach."

"That makes sense. I just need to not panic and stay calm so I can have a normal conversation with her."

"Exactly. Without being emotional or aggressive, be upfront like you have done many times."

"Yeah. I think I'll do that."

"However, you should also let her express her own feelings. Let Peach explain her thoughts as well. And maybe, if you're lucky, she might debunk your previous statement about her not loving you."

"Okay," Mario felt a bit uncomfortable about that part.

"And, this may sound odd... But if you really want to tie the knot, if you think you have the passion and the courage to directly ask her, then do it. You've tried to accomplish that before, and of course, things didn't go the way you planned. Give it another shot, and see how she reacts."

"But-"

"Let me finish. If she accepts, make her the happiest woman in the world. If she rejects, however, respect her decision on why she chose that option. Don't make a big deal out of it. Regardless of what she chooses, the most important thing is that you have to repair your friendship with her. That is your top priority."

Mario leaned back in his chair as he took in every single word she heard from his brunette friend. He felt like he gained some insight, which was what he wanted coming into this situation. Although the next step was going to be hard for him, he can't let his personal issues linger any longer. It was now or never, except the latter was not an option.

Taking a deep breath, Mario stood up from his seat, his face now filled with determination. "That's it. I'm going back to talk to Peach."

Pauline smiled. "I hoped I was able to help."

"You did. Cappy helped a little, too. But I think this conversation was also worth it."

"Just remain calm and stay focused. I'm positive that you'll be fine."

"I can't thank you enough, Pauline," Mario smiled brightly, extending his right hand to her.

She rose from her chair and returned the handshake. "You're very welcome, Mario. I have some extra cake if you would like a snack on the way home."

"That would be nice."

"I wish you the best of luck. I'll see you at the party tomorrow."

"Yes, you will. And thanks again."

Pauline walked over to open her door and allow Mario to exit. However, before he did, he stared up at her and gave her a small peck on her cheek. After he parted, a red blush appeared on both of their faces. Mario quickly cleared his throat and tipped his hat before mumbling one last goodbye. The mayor closed her door and leaned against the wood for a while. Shaking it off, she walked over to the large window. Looking at the clouds, she smiled to herself, emitting a giggle.

"I may not be his true 1-Up girl, but he'll always be everyone's 1-Up boy." **_(6)_**

* * *

 _Location: Mushroom Kingdom_

Hours have gone by as the last of the decorations were being set up at the castle. Before the sun disappeared from the horizon, Peach allowed Luigi to leave early and take the rest of the night off.

After he returned home, he decided to clean up the house. At the same time, however, he wondered where his older brother was. With his handy Poltergust, he vacuumed up the dust in the living room and kitchen. He then went upstairs to tidy the attic, the bathroom, and his own room. He went to Mario's room last. The green man continued his usual routine, getting every nook and cranny.

When he reached under one of the drawers, the hose sucked up something. Luigi felt the vibration and turned off the machine. He grabbed what the Poltergust found and examined it. To his surprise, it was a black box with a ring encased inside.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _I'm just going to leave this here before any of you try to pelt me with tomatoes or whatever you have to hurt me. This story is almost finished so only time will tell whether things will be fine between Mario and Peach, or if the future will remain bleak. Let me know how I did with this chapter. Review down below, follow/favorite, and I'll see you next time for another chapter of Distance. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Most of the stuff that I referenced came from the game and Super Mario Wiki. Also, screw that stupid 100-jump challenge._

 ** _(2):_** _Pauline was kidnapped by Cranky Kong (a.k.a. the **original** Donkey Kong) from the arcade game._

 ** _(3):_** _The current Donkey Kong that we all know has been the antagonist and Pauline's kidnapper from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, starting with March of the Minis._

 ** _(4):_** _This is a play on 'The New York Times', an actual brand of newspaper._

 ** _(5):_** _In the postgame, it is revealed from Pauline that she adores cake when it's 'good' and not packaged._

 ** _(6):_** _*See lyrics to the song 'Jump Up, Super Star!'_


	5. Ch 5: The Truth Still Hurts

_A/N:_ _Merry Christmas, everyone! Just like in New Brotherhood, I want to thank everyone for your support when I needed it._

 _Distance_ _is back with an actual chapter this time. And even though this one is much shorter than the first four, I prefer to save the most important part for the next upload. I also want to thank everyone who either followed, favorited, reviewed, and/or read the story up to this point. One person in particular, animegamefanatic, actually has a story titled 'Mario x Peach: Unresolved Tension' on their FFN account, which is one of the few stories that inspired me to write this. I just wanted to give them my special thanks. And now, we're over **50 reviews** , **31 favorites** , **26 followers** , and **2,600+ hits**! So far, I haven't gotten any complaints about Pauline's role in the last chapter, and I'm happy to hear that a lot of you liked her._

 _Finally, I changed the poll by adding an extra option and allowing everyone to vote for a second answer. Feel free to go to my profile and find the question at the top of the page. Other than that, I hope you enjoy this one._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Plot events from Super Mario Odyssey are found here. Please leave to avoid spoilers. I don't own anything related to Mario._

* * *

 _"One of the biggest mistakes you could make is to cause the woman you love to feel like she can't talk to you."_

 ** _~Amari Soul_**

* * *

 **Chapter 5:** The Truth Still Hurts

The Odyssey continued its smooth-sailing ride back to the Mushroom Kingdom. The ship already passed the Cap Kingdom and continued its journey over the water. The moonlight reflected off the calming waves. Some nearby seagulls flew by, chirping loudly. The noise woke up the plumber who was snoozing in one of the chairs with the red Mushroom pillow and a soft blanket. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms out, his mouth agape as he let out a long yawn.

"What time is it?" Mario said to himself. He took a peek at the wall clock in front of him. "8 o'clock, huh? I wonder if they're still decorating the castle at this point." He lowered his head, gazing down at his lap. "I can definitely bet Peach is worried sick about me. Luigi probably is, too. I'll have to make it up to both of them later."

It took another twenty minutes before the Odyssey finally returned to the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario stepped outside and guided the ship to his backyard. He waited for the ramp to fold out before he stepped off. After locking it up, he walked around to reach the front porch. He was about to grab the house key from his pocket until he was caught off guard by the door opening.

"Mario?"

"Oh, Luigi! I... I didn't expect you to be here."

His younger brother gave him a questionable, yet stern, look. "And I didn't expect you to be gone for the whole day."

Mario frowned. "I know, Weege. Listen, I'm very sorry I didn't come to the castle to help out. I didn't mean to break my promise with you."

"Well, I did get your letter in the kitchen. At least you gave me some sort of message. I just didn't know where you went or why you had to leave."

"Luigi," he reached back to scratch his head, looking down at the wooden floor. "There's something I have to tell you. I'm not going to lie to you like before." Luigi raised an eyebrow, giving him the signal to continue. "About what happened this morning, when you asked me if something was wrong with me and I kept denying you, the truth is... I was not feeling myself lately. Or at all for the past year."

The man in green slouched his shoulders. Some of the pent-up anger brushed away. "Do you want to come inside and talk about it?"

"Yes. That'll be fine. _I still have to talk to Peach today. I just hope I'm not too late._ "

Luigi let his brother inside and told him to take a seat in the living room. He walked over to the kitchen and brewed some tea. He carefully carried the drinks over to the couch, handing Mario his favorite red mug.

" _Grazie._ "

" _Prego,_ Mario," he took a sip before setting his cup down. "So, answer this first to me, Mario. Why did you not come to the castle today?"

Holding his mug in his hands, he took a deep breath as he thought about what he wanted to say. "I flew to the Cap Kingdom to visit Cappy."

"You did?" Luigi received a nod. "I mean, I guess it's nice to see him because you haven't been with each other since your worldwide adventure. Did you talk to him about the Smash tournament?"

"Actually, no. I didn't."

Luigi was confused. "Then, what did you discuss about?"

"About what's wrong with me. I also went to the Metro Kingdom and spoke with Pauline about the same thing."

"You did?"

"Mm-hmm. Both of them helped me a little with my problems. Yet, I've been on edge with everything that I've done in the past."

"What's the matter?"

Mario set his mug down and slouched back on the couch. "I don't know if you have ever noticed, but I've been avoiding Peach a lot for the past year."

"Frankly, I do know all about that."

Mario looked at him with a bit of surprise. "You do?"

Luigi nodded. "And so does Peach." Mario turned away after he mentioned her name. "In fact, when I told her that you seemed a little odd this morning, Peach said that you haven't been seeing her a lot, and you hardly talked or spent time together frequently. I know you two are very close and all, and people kept saying that you two are like an item, but recently that hasn't been the case. Not only that, but she told me that she's quite sorrowful and hurt about it. Are you doing this on purpose?"

Mario had no choice but to be honest. Lying wasn't going to make this situation better. "Yes, Luigi. It's all true. I've been avoiding Peach a whole lot, including today."

"But why, Mario? Did you ever think that Peach's feelings are hurt because of this?"

"I do, fratello. It's just... I was scared to see her face. I was afraid to talk to her. I couldn't bring myself to engage in a conversation unless it's for a few seconds. But I kept pushing her away, and I don't mean to hurt her like that."

"Then why do you keep doing it?"

Mario resisted forming in his eyes. "Because I broke her heart before all this happened."

"Huh? What do you mean, bro?"

"The rejection on the moon."

At first, Luigi didn't realize his point until it finally clicked in his mind. His eyes widened as he stared at his broken brother.

"Before Peach got kidnapped by Bowser last year, I wanted to take a step forward and ask for her hand in marriage. And after Cappy and I rescued her, I thought that it would be a nice occasion to propose to her since we were outside the wedding chapel. When Bowser interfered, my ego took over, resulting in Peach scolding me for my poor bearing. It was that moment when I felt like I lost my touch with her because I only cared about being with her forever. And that's not fair to her. That made me think; what would happen if I say or do something stupid like that again? She could rebuke me like the last time, of course. But my mind could only think of the worst possibilities because I screwed up so badly. That's why I haven't been talking to Peach like I used to. However, I eventually realized that avoiding her was not the best thing to do."

Suddenly, Luigi put two and two together. "Were you about to propose Peach with a ring?"

"I was," Mario blinked for a second. "Why do you ask that?"

Luigi swallowed a small bulge in his throat. He cautiously grabbed something from his overalls and showed it to Mario. His brother instantly knew what it was.

"W-Where did you get that?!"

"After Peach allowed me to go home early, I wanted to clean up the house. When I got to your room, I found this under your dresser. I couldn't help but take a quick peek."

Mario's face paled, frozen in place with so many emotions running through his head like before.

"You really wanted to marry Peach, huh?"

By then, Mario couldn't keep his tears at bay. He let them fall down once again, not caring that he was sniveling in front of his sibling.

Luigi's heart broke. Wanting to comfort him, he set down the ring box onto the coffee table and gently laid a hand on Mario's shoulder. He pulled him forward and held him tightly. He wrapped his arms around his body, rubbing his back as Mario laid his head on Luigi's shoulder. The red-clad man shivered in the embrace. Luigi tried to soothe him, whispering words in their native language into his ear. It seemed to work as Mario's shaking diminished.

"Shh, it's okay, Mario." Luigi remained quiet for a while. " _Mi dispiace molto_."

"No, Luigi. _Sono io quello che dovrebbe scusarsi_." Mario pulled away to look at his brother straight in the face. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you the truth. I'm sorry I kept this secret to myself as it only made me more mad and depressed. I tried to bottle up my emotions and pretend like everything is okay when it isn't. You're my brother, and the least I could've asked for was help from someone I trust with my heart. It only took me until now to talk about my feelings to you."

"Well, I'm here now. I'm here for you, big bro," he hugged Mario again. "And you have no reason to be sorry to me."

"Thanks, Weegie," he responded with a muffled accent.

"However, you need to apologize to the princess."

"I understand, Luigi. Deep down, I still have feelings for her. I just hope I haven't gone too far to the point where she doesn't respect me anymore. Plus, I promised Pauline I would try to see Peach as soon as I got back."

"Oh, I didn't mean to waste your time."

"No, Luigi. It's okay. I actually didn't mind talking to you. I kind of needed it. Thanks, bro."

" _Nessun problema_ ," Luigi patted his shoulder. **_(1)_**

He turned around and grabbed a tissue box from behind. He handed it to Mario who appreciated his kindness. After drying his eyes and blowing his nose, he started to feel better again. But Mario had that sinking feeling in his heart again. He knew that talking to Peach would be very awkward given the circumstances. He had a strong feeling that she will be upset no matter what. Nevertheless, he had to explain himself. He could deal with the consequences later. All that mattered was letting Peach know how sorry he was. And from what Pauline suggested, he wanted to properly ask her the one question he was dying to say exactly one year ago.

"You okay, bro?"

"A little," he genuinely replied. "I better get going now. And I need to take this as well," he grabbed the jewelry box. "You can pour away the tea. I'm not thirsty anymore."

"Okay. Listen, Mario. Just go up to her and be yourself like old times. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You got this."

"I got this," he repeated softly.

"Good luck, Mario."

"Thanks, Luigi."

After the Mario Bros. shared one last hug, Mario breathed deeply before he started to make his way outside. Luigi remained at the front entrance of the house, watching him stroll towards the green pipe. Before he entered below, Mario waved goodbye while Luigi tipped his green cap to him. It was now or never. He was ready to talk to Princess Peach. He now had the courage to go up to her and apologize. What his heart was dreading was how she was going to react.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Spoilers: if you already voted in the poll, I should mention that the question had two answers. And if you guessed that something drastic would happen before Mario could see Peach, then you are technically correct! Luigi ends up finding of Mario's reasoning to why he left the Mushroom Kingdom and avoided Peach recurrently. But as for the second answer, that will come at a later time._

 _Until then, you can predict what you think will happen to Mario next time on Distance. Will he finally explain himself to the princess, or will he back out last second? Will he finally get to propose to Peach properly? And if so, will she accept?_

 _As always, thanks for reading! Please leave a favorite/follow if you're enjoying this so far, review your thoughts down below, and tune in for Ch. 6 when it all goes down between Mario and Peach. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _I've explained a few of these phrases in my other stories, but I'll go ahead and translate them for anyone else, just in case._

 ** _Grazie-_** _Thank you.  
_ ** _Prego-_** _You're welcome.  
_ ** _Mi dispiace molto-_** _I'm very sorry.  
_ ** _Sono io quello che dovrebbe scusarsi-_** _I'm the one who should be apologizing.  
_ ** _Nessun problema-_** _No problem._


	6. Ch 6: Heart-to-Heart

_A/N:_ _Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to hoping 2019 will be better because my 2018 was all over the place, full of many ups and downs (mostly the latter, probably). But one positive that came out of this is that Distance is now over **70 reviews** and **3,000+ hits**! I want to thank everyone for your ongoing support, for this fanfic and my other projects._

 _On a different note, it's been over two years since I uploaded my first work, Hidden Bravery, on this website. I still can't believe it's been this long, and I ended up finishing that fanfic at the end of July. Seriously, where did the time go? Anyway, that's enough about me._

 _Because this chapter will reveal Mario's fate, I took down the question on my profile. Just going off the poll alone, the final results had eight votes for the 'drastic' event, which the majority got correct. Then we have the others:_

 _~He apologizes to Peach, and she accepts his proposal. – **4 votes**_

 _~He apologizes to Peach, but he doesn't ask for her hand in marriage. – **2 votes**_

 _~He apologizes to Peach but gets rejected. They still remain as close friends. – **1 vote**_

 _(The other options had 0 votes.)_

 _The poll doesn't say who voted for what. Regardless, we'll see if anyone ended up guessing the correct answer. And whatever happens here stays like this. I'm not going to change the outcome at all. So whether or not you like it, hate it, or want to throw harmful objects at me, that's not going to affect anything._

 _Alright, I don't want to waste more of your time. Let's get back to Distance!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _I do not own the characters from Mario. References from Super Mario Odyssey are found here, so please exit this story if you want to avoid spoilers._

* * *

 _"Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."_

 ** _~Robert A. Heinlein (from 'Stranger in a Strange Land')_**

* * *

 **Chapter 6:** Heart-to-Heart

Mario emerged from the green warp pipe in the city of Toad Town. Light posts were lit up to help the citizens see where they were going. As he hopped off, a Yellow Toad, who happened to be the one who has helped Mario in his adventures, noticed him as he was walking in his direction. **_(1)_**

"Hey, Mario! There you are."

"Hello, Yellow." To the Toad, that's the nickname he preferred to be called, despite the fact that there are dozens of other Toads with the same colored dots on their heads.

"Everyone's been wondering where you've been. The princess, Luigi, and just about everyone in town! We thought something bad happened, but some of us had to stay here and finish decorating for Princess Daisy's party tomorrow."

"Don't worry. I'm here, and that's what matters. However, I need to see Peach urgently."

"I'm pretty sure she hasn't left the castle. You can head on over."

"Thanks, Yellow. I'll see you later."

"Okay! Bye, Mario!"

Mario got into a sprint, passing by other Toads who added more decorations on the city's buildings. His heart was racing. Not from the running, but from the insistence that he needed to talk to Peach as soon as possible. He already set aside his negative thoughts that he previously had during his daytime trip. He finally reached the castle, skidding to a halt as he saw the multitude of lights and banners that the community put up. He was really impressed with the effort they've done. Getting distracted, Mario shook his head and ran over to the doors. He was about to open them until he realized they were locked. With his fists, he banged it loudly and repeatedly until someone answered.

"Who the heck is that?" Mario heard from the other side. He stopped and waited for the entrance to open. "Oh my god! Mario!"

"Hey, Toad. Listen, I have to make this quick. I'm sorry I didn't help out today. But I need to see Peach."

"Oh, um... She's up in her room, I think. And-"

"Thanks, Toad!" Mario ignored what he was about to say next as he hurried up the stairs.

Toad sighed while he closed the doors. He saw Toadette walking up to him.

"What was that all about?"

"To be honest, I have no idea."

Although Mario was rushing, he had to mind the other Toads and made sure that he didn't bump into them accidentally. Before he got to the princess' room, he heard an irate voice from behind.

"Master Mario!"

He stopped and turned around. Toadsworth was waving his brown cane at him.

"Toadsworth. I can explain-"

"By the Star Spirits' sake, you _will_ explain yourself!" he shouted while he sluggishly made his way towards him. "You and Master Luigi were supposed to be helping with Princess Daisy's party. And what did I come across? Your absence! Only your brother cared enough to finish the last of the embellishments while you failed to show up!"

Mario had no time to argue with the elderly Toad. He knew how cross Toadsworth can be whenever he didn't live up to people's expectations. And because he dawdled throughout most of the day in the Cap and Metro Kingdoms, the Toad probably wanted a direct and honest answer.

"I accept all of the blame, Toadsworth. I understand that I wasn't here to help, and I had no good reason to not show up. But I need to see Peach."

"Why is that?" he was skeptical.

"It's really important that I need to speak to her."

Toadsworth narrowed his eyes from behind his small glasses. His white mustache also drooped. "You're not being straightforward, Master Mario. Explain to me now!"

Mario blinked, swallowing the lump in his throat. He pulled the collar of his shirt, sweating from being nervous again. "I, uh-"

It was quite unnerving how the red-clad man went from being guilty to unconfident, then to determined, and then back to unconfident again as he was put up on the spot in front of Peach's steward. Despite how overprotective and harsh the old guardian can be at times, it was because he was genuinely concerned about the safety and well-being of everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom. Of course, he was always apprehensive about the princess, but he was worried about Mario, too.

"Master Mario, please work with me here," his voice softened.

"Toadsworth, I messed up. Really badly."

"About what?"

"You see-"

Just then, someone else spoke up, startling both of them in the process. "Mario? Toadsworth?" They looked over to see Princess Peach peeking out from her bedroom door. "What's going on out there? I heard some shouting from you, Toadsworth, and I could've sworn I heard your name and voice, Mario. Not only that, but I was wondering where you were this whole time."

Mario's heart nearly broke into two. He noticed how upset the pink princess was from the tone of her delicate voice. "Peach, I... I have to apologize to you."

"That you didn't show up today?"

"No. I mean, well, that as well. But it's about something else. And," he gazed down, shuffling his foot against the carpet, "I was hoping I would speak to you in private because... it's personal between us."

Peach frowned. After standing idly for a few seconds, she turned to the brown Toad. "Toadsworth, could you please excuse us?"

He kindly nodded. "Yes, Princess. Master Mario," he bowed to him before leaving them alone.

Mario exhaled through his nose, shuddering. He turned back to Peach where both of them stared at each other for a short while. The awkward silence was broken once she talked again.

"Um, you can come inside now."

He gave his thanks with a nod before entering. After she shut and locked her door, they stood in the middle of the room, gazing at each other once again. Peach was full of curiosity and uneasiness. Mario's eyes were full of guilt and grief. He knew that this meeting wouldn't go anywhere if he remained quiet. It was that time he let the cat out of the bag.

"So..." Mario looked down, his hands folded behind his back.

"So..." Peach repeated.

"I guess I'll start off by saying where I was today. I didn't stay home like I was sick or something like that."

"Then what happened? All I know was that when I called you on the phone, you said 'Hello?' and that was it. You didn't say a single word to me after that. Plus, you hung up even though I kept asking if you were there."

"I'm sorry, Peach. Believe me, this will be the first time you'll hear that from me. I've got plenty of things to apologize for."

"What else is there besides not coming here to help with the party?"

"That's the next thing. I never intended to break my promise, but I decided to leave the Mushroom Kingdom because I needed closure."

"For what?"

"I'll explain later. Going back to where I was, I flew in the Odyssey and visited the Cap Kingdom first. I spent some time with Cappy and Tiara, but mostly Cappy. I wanted to talk to him about something that has bothered me for so long. He understood my feelings, and I appreciated him for taking the time to listen."

"What did you two talk about?"

"I'm getting there. After I left Bonneton, I then traveled to the Metro Kingdom. I ended up speaking to Pauline about the same thing. Except, she gave me some extra feedback and insight on how to deal with my issue. She also stressed out that I needed to see you as soon as possible by the time I left New Donk City. But before I could, I needed to park the Odyssey and get something from my house. That's when Luigi confronted me, and I also explained my predicament to him. After he also gave me encouragement, I wanted to see you. Well technically, I _had_ to. And that's why I'm here right now."

"Mario," Peach sighed, "as much as I appreciate your honesty, I still don't understand the whole story. Why did you leave and bail out on us? And why do you keep avoiding me whenever I wanted to talk to you?"

The plumber shut his eyes and tilted his chin down in shame. His hands were planted on his sides. Peach kept her eyes fixed at him, wondering what's taking him so long to answer her question. What she didn't expect next was the look on his face. He faced her with his blue eyes. His blue, _watering_ eyes.

"Mario?" she lightly gasped. Never had she ever seen Mario like this before. Well, maybe it happened once, but this was something completely unforeseen to her.

The man blinked, feeling the tears on the edge of his eyelids as they threatened to fall down his cheeks. His lip quivered, having trouble to utter the words he wanted to say. He lost all of his confidence again, right in front of the princess.

But he couldn't care less.

Not only was Peach shocked, but she was also distraught to see her hero like this. The first thing she thought of was to give him a warming embrace to calm him down. But when she tried to approach him, he took a step back. Confused, Peach saw Mario raise a hand, confirming her to stop what she was about to do. And then, he said it.

"I was scared. I-I was scared of... y-you."

"Me?" She received a silent nod. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. I did," he lowered his hand and stared down at the floor.

"What do you mean? Is this about today?"

"No. It's about everything I've done to you. I ignored you. I didn't want to spend time with you. I didn't have the heart to engage in your conversations. I pretended to have a good time when we were doubles partners in tennis. I didn't have the courage to look at your face! Everything I did over the last twelve months was wrong! And it all started because..." Mario stopped as he failed to keep his emotions in check.

Peach became more concerned about Mario than before. "Because of what?" she deliberately asked.

Mario glanced at the princess again. His voice began to crack. "I treated you with the utmost disrespect. I only cared about myself as I rudely shoved a flower in your face."

Her eyes enlarged and breathed out a small gasp. An epiphany sparked in Peach's mind as she instantly realized what Mario was referring. She pictured the two of them on the moon, enjoying each other's company after the reckless adventure they had earlier. And then, all that joy fell apart when Bowser stepped in to ruin things once again, which only fueled Mario's mind to do _that_ to her. Peach then reminisced how harsh she was to Bowser, but she also remembered the response she gave to her mustachioed hero. The icing on the cake was seeing his reaction, going from a face full of disbelief to one filled with complete disappointment.

That was when she understood everything.

"Oh my goodness. My rejection caused you to act like this?"

Mario finally let the droplets escape. "Yes. That moment led me to believe that I was never going to be friends with you again. Let alone, be that special one to adore and hold you dearly for the rest of your life. It was a ridiculous belief, but the truth is, I love you, Peach." His cheeks started to turn red. "We may have not gotten too far in a relationship, and I know it was hard to tell what kind of love I was experiencing back then. But that feeling was there, deep down inside my heart. I cared about you so much. And eventually, I was eager to explain my true feelings for you. I wanted to wait for the right moment to propose to you. And well, we both know what happened after that. The first time when Bowser abducted you and the second time in Honeylune Ridge."

Peach comprehended his point, blushing after the revelation that he admitted his love for her. She remained silent, persistent to intently listen to him.

"When you rejected me, I found out that what you said was all true. I should've been mature. Instead, I acted as if you were a trophy and competed against Bowser to win your affection. That was morally wrong of me to do that, especially to someone like you. Afterward, things were so awkward when I joined you on the Odyssey as we flew back home...

"Although Cappy and I visited you and Tiara in the kingdoms, I was panicking on the inside whenever you talked to me. I know it's not in your nature to bring up bad moments from the past, but I was afraid that you would say something like that, only because I thought I deserved to be ridiculed...

"Eventually, I made the decision to give you some space. That was why I was distant from you over the past year. I didn't want to make you mad or upset like before. But after talking to Cappy, Pauline, and Luigi, I had to come to terms and muster up the strength to speak to you since it was rude of me to neglect you. And I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry I kept lying to you. I'm sorry I waited until now to explain myself. I'm sorry I did everything that hurt your feelings."

The princess was moved that she was also on the verge of tears. She perceived how candid Mario was throughout his apology. It wasn't from his mind or from a script. Every single word and phrase that he mentioned was straight from his soul. And those tears were not even close to being fake.

Mario sniffed, wiping the drops with the sleeve of his shirt and his gloved hand. He turned around and walked over to the balcony. Peach watched him meander outside from where she stood. Mario leaned on the balustrade, staring at the full moon that gleamed in the Mushroom Kingdom's sky.

"If I could turn back time, I wouldn't go back to the moment when I tried to propose to you on the moon. I wouldn't go back to when I tried proposing the first time before Bowser took you away. I would've waited until after we returned home. And immediately following that, I would've been straight up and said, 'Princess, I'm sorry I behaved like that. I hope that doesn't change anything between us', or something along those lines. If I would've apologized earlier, maybe this awkward tension wouldn't be between us. I probably wouldn't have gotten these nightmares where I cringe at my stupid actions. And I wouldn't have kept my distance from you."

The blonde princess heard all of that from afar in her room. She slowly ambled over to the broken hero in red. She stood next to him, barely glimpsing at Mario whose head remained high.

She was devastated. She saw more tears fall from his eyes.

When she talked to Daisy earlier, Peach mentioned to her friend that she had a suspicion that she had something to do with Mario's odd behavior. Now that she found out, she, herself, was in a state of guilt.

 _"Oh, Mario... I have never seen you like this before. Did I truly break your heart this badly?"_

Peach couldn't take it anymore. She closed the gap by doing something that he didn't anticipate. With her left hand, she reached out and held it over Mario's right. She felt a jitter from him. Soon after, she locked her fingers in between the spaces of his digits. Mario cautiously turned his head towards her. Yet again, they found themselves looking at one another without saying anything.

"Thank you, Mario," the princess finally spoke. "I'm glad you were able to tell me."

"Really?"

A small smile was present on her lips. "Yes," she whispered.

Mario nodded in acknowledgement even though he didn't return the expression. At the very least, his sobbing had ceased. He wiped his eyes to dry them.

Peach frowned when she noticed. "Mario? Is there something else that's wrong?"

The answer was 'yes', but he didn't say that or anything at all. Instead, Mario gradually removed his hand from under Peach's and directly faced her.

"My friends and Luigi wanted me to apologize to you, and I'm relieved that I finally got through that. But, there is something I haven't done yet. And it's been exactly a year since I tried to do it the first time. I want to properly do it without any interruptions. And regardless of the outcome, I just hope we can still be friends."

"Mario, we are friends and always will be. Ever since I first met you, you've been great and kind to me. You didn't have to be formal and dignified around me just to make me smile or feel comfortable. Having you as company always cheers me up. And despite our rift, I never wanted us to not be friends."

He sighed in relief. "That's really all I wanted to hear. Thank you, Peach."

"You're welcome, Mario. But what did you mean by 'regardless of the outcome'?"

Suddenly, he kneeled down on one knee and reached inside his overalls. Peach blinked and realized what he was doing. It was like déjà vu all over again.

"To repeat myself, I just want to do it without having any complications. More importantly, I'm not going to convince or force you to make this decision. This is all on you and you only." He then took the princess' hand. "I have spent the time to know the real you beyond your royal title. Because of that, I admired and loved you for who you are. I don't care that I'm not a royal, nor do I care that if I do become one, I'd have to adjust to life very differently. My only concern is if you'll give me the responsibility to take care and love you for the rest of my life. So now, I have to ask you..." He took out the small jewelry box and opened it to reveal the ring and the message written inside. "Princess Peach Toadstool, will you marry me?"

Peach's eyes glistened like the many stars above her. She was fascinated by the details on the golden ring. The large diamond made it extravagant and gorgeous. But something else clouded Peach's thoughts. It was the fact that Mario had saved this for a year because Bowser wanted to marry her, as well as the part when she turned down Mario in the Moon Kingdom.

The latter caused him to be scared of her. And the thought of that made her upset again.

This time, she was the one who started crying. As for Mario, he was the curious one. In a matter of minutes, their roles were reversed.

"P-Peach?"

"Oh, Mario," she whimpered with heartbreak, "I can't believe I did this to you! I did reject you on the moon because of your misconduct. And I thought getting married at the time was too much after what happened between me and Bowser. I just never thought I would emotionally crush you like this at all."

"But Peach-"

She didn't want him to interject. "Now that I think about it, when I left you and Bowser, I was torn. I knew you didn't mean to act that way intentionally. There was just too much pressure and tension that I lost control of myself. Not only that, I don't think I even thanked you properly from preventing Bowser to be wed with me. I... I'm so foolish of myself! I'm so sorry, Mario!"

"What?" Mario's mouth was agape. He put the ring away and gently held her wrists. "Why are you apologizing to _me_?! I'm not the one who deserves pity or forgiveness."

"Didn't you hear me?" she shook her head and kneeled down until she was at his eye level. "You've done so many good things to me while the most I've done was bake cakes and give kisses on your face to show my appreciation. Despite the fact that they seem platonic in one aspect, I actually had strong feelings for you, too. I can agree that whatever kind of love there was between us, it was hard to tell if it was true or not. But over the course of time, I eventually found out that I do love you, Mario. And I didn't admit it until now, right after you explained why you've been avoiding me. Regardless, I never meant to push you away because of something I started. All of that was my fault...

"And that made me think to myself; if I do marry you, what are the chances that I would do something similar? What if I break your heart again? I don't want that to occur if it'll make you depressed and distant like before. I still don't know if I'm ready to take on such a major commitment!"

As the tears streamed down, she covered her face with her hands. Mario had comforted Peach many times in the past, but this time was much different than the others. His knees fell to the balcony floor. He got closer to the princess and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing a hand on her back to calm her down. As she wept, her arms eventually made their way around his neck, and she laid her chin in the crook of his neck, shaking uncontrollably.

"Peach... You had to do something to break me and Bowser apart from our fight."

"I c-could've done it... in a b-better manner though," she choked on her words. "After all, I'm still not that great of a p-princess. From what I've done, I'm practically u-useless."

Mario recalled that she belittled herself like this. He didn't want her to go down that path again. He pulled away from the hug and gave her a stern look. "No. You had every right to be abrasive, even if it didn't match your principles. You needed to be bold for us to stop quarreling. And you emphasized that. You were able to do something daring, even if it hurt both of us. Otherwise, we probably would've spent hours, if not days, on the freaking moon trying to sweep you off your feet. That was one example where you showed courage. You've been on several adventures with us or on your own, so both you and I know that you can take care of yourself and do many great things with your abilities. You don't always get into trouble, and you're _not_ a useless person."

"M-Mario-" She was stopped when Mario's finger pressed against her mouth.

"You have to understand that you're only human. And so am I. We can always try to do everything in our power, but we'll never amount to it. Do you agree?" he removed his hand.

"I... I do," Peach sniffed.

"When you mentioned that you were worried about breaking my heart again, I felt the same way. This is what Pauline told me; relationships are never going to be flawless. Obviously, we had some tension, and there's likely a chance that it can happen in the future. However, she explained that talking it out helps. I felt grateful when I spoke to her, Cappy, and my brother. And then I felt relieved when I finally told you my reasons for ignoring you. At the end of the day, all I wanted was validation that we're still friends, and I thank you for that...

"Listen, I don't care if you reject my proposal. I'll respect your decision. If you're not ready, then you're not ready. If you think I'm not the right person, then that's fine. Nonetheless, I'll be there to rescue you when someone takes you away. I'll be there for you if you're ever feeling down about anything. I'll revere you for your hard work and dedication. Because even though we live in a world that isn't perfect, you always try your best to make it a better place. I can always rely on you first for help... Well, next to Luigi, of course..."

To Mario's surprise, Peach giggled at his words. What was more significant was that his words charmed her. Whenever Mario was involved, she always put her trust in him.

"So whether or not we're a couple, there will be a place in my heart that loves you. Because you mean something to me in my life."

She pulled him close once more. Rather than expressing sadness, she released tears of joy.

"I feel the same way, too. Thank you, Mario."

"You're welcome, Peach."

"I love you."

A long pause lingered before he responded back. " _Ti amo anch'io._ " **_(2)_**

Mario and Peach took another moment to gaze in their eyes. Their pools of blue glistened from both happy tears and the moonlight. Then, as their smiles slightly faded away, the distance between them became smaller. Heads were tilted and eyes were closed. Soon after, their lips touched. Mario softly caressed Peach's cheek with his gloved hand. The princess laid her own on top of his shoulder. They remained still in their positions for a minute. Eventually, they ended their kiss. Their cheeks reddened, not from embarrassment, but from passion.

"Um..." Mario was having trouble to form coherent thoughts.

Peach was in the same boat. "So..."

More silence filled the air around them. It broke when Mario opened his mouth.

"I... guess I'll see you at the party, huh?"

"Oh... yes. Of course. We do have to be up and ready early tomorrow."

Mario got up from his knees and helped the princess by taking her hand. "Thanks for taking the time to listen. And thanks for understanding, too."

"The same goes for you, Mario. I'm delighted you were able to talk to me."

Mario smiled at her for the first time tonight. Actually, the first time in _months_. Nevertheless, he was happy that they were both well in the end. They shared one last hug.

"Good night, Princess."

"Good night, Mario," she planted another kiss, this time on his nose.

Mario gave a bow to her before leaving. Being the kind of guy that he was, Mario didn't leave the castle the normal way. He hopped over the balustrade and stood on the castle roof. He carefully jumped down onto the bridge above the moat. Mario glanced back at the woman in pink. Her hands were held over her heart as she grinned down at him. Mario returned the smile and tipped his red hat at her before he made his way back home. He sighed, feeling reassured that he restored his friendship with Peach.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Mario and Peach are NOT engaged and are NOT getting married. Therefore, the second answer to my poll question was that Mario apologizes, but he gets rejected by Peach. Despite this, they are still close friends._

 _I feel like I can sense at least one person who's pretty mad about this. But the reason why I let this be the outcome was that I didn't want to finish this story with some kind of storybook ending. It'd be too cliché and predictable. I've seen plenty of fanfics where Mario ends up marrying Peach and he becomes King of the Mushroom Kingdom. From the very beginning, my main purpose was to set up a different conclusion, one that was bittersweet yet not entirely tragic. So if I disappointed anyone, I can't pin any blame on you. However, this was my intention, and it'll stay that way. That doesn't mean this story is over though._

 _The final chapter will be the epilogue which takes place during Daisy's party. I'm not going to be too specific here, but you'll see what will transpire. And no, they still won't be engaged or married to each other. Until then, I hope everyone is having a Happy New Year. I'll see you all for the finale! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Yellow Toad has helped Mario in the New Super Mario Bros. series since the Wii title, and apparently, he's not the same as Yellow Toad of the Toad Brigade from both Super Mario Galaxy games. He's still playable in the Deluxe Version of NSMBU. But obviously, we know he wasn't part of the big picture in that reveal. (Lord, help us all.)_

 ** _(2):_** _'I love you, too' is the English translation._


	7. Epilogue: Together

_A/N:_ _Sorry for making you wait this long, but the finale is finally here! The ending note is where the bulk of my replies will be. Well, it's not really a set of replies. It's more of my take on the story as a whole and the reviews I received. The Post-Chapter Notes will be found before this, similar to what I did for Hidden Bravery. Anyway, let's hop into the epilogue so we can finish this story in the books. I hope you enjoy the final part of Distance!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Once again, do not read this story if don't want to see any spoilers to Super Mario Odyssey. Mario and Nintendo are not owned by me. I only take credit for this fanfiction._

* * *

 _"I will always care for you, even if we're not together and even if we're far, far away from each other."_

 ** _~Anonymous_**

* * *

 **Epilogue:** Together

It was the following morning, and Peach woke up very early to greet Daisy who was planning to arrive at 9 o'clock. Outside the entrance of Toad Town, she saw the tomboy princess being escorted by a couple of her servants. After thanking them, Daisy ran over to Peach for a friendly embrace. Both were delighted to see each other in person after a long time. As they began walking towards the castle, Daisy realized how quiet the place was. Not a single Toad or being was outside. Confused, she glanced at Peach who couldn't contain her excitement.

"Okay, Peach, what's with the huge grin?" Daisy noticed, chuckling at her.

"Oh, it's nothing," she fibbed.

"Come on, you can tell me anything. If you got a secret, you have to spill the beans."

"You know I can't do that!"

"Not even for your best friend?"

"You'll see for yourself, Daisy."

As they continued walking, the Sarasaland princess noticed all the decorations in the town.

"Wow. This place sure looks festive. Are you throwing a surprise birthday party or something?"

"Maybe. It could be along the lines of that."

"Oh yeah? Who's it for?"

"That's what I can't tell you."

Daisy huffed, but it wasn't out of annoyance. She knew Peach was usually hard to get whenever a secret was involved.

"By the way, did you happen to find Mario last night?"

"I did. Actually, Mario came to me."

"He did?"

"Well, he went to Luigi first before he came over to the castle."

"Okay. So, what happened?" Peach took the next several minutes to briefly explain yesterday's events. "Man, that's relieving to hear. I'm glad both of you have made up from all that. I didn't realize there was some slight tension involved."

"Neither did I, until he explained it to me. I might have been guilty, but he said that it wasn't my fault for making him distant. Still, I can't help but take some responsibility."

"What matters is that you're still friends. Even if you don't get married to Mario, whether that's sooner, later, or not at all, as long as you still share that special bond, both of you will be in good comfort."

"Yeah, you're right. I always feel safe whenever I'm close to him."

"And I bet he feels the same way about you."

Peach peered down, but she had a wan smile. She didn't need to say anything. Daisy easily read her face.

A minute later, they made it to the front courtyard and crossed the bridge that led to the front doors. Once Peach opened the entrance, Daisy noticed how dark it was inside.

"Um, Peach? Did you have a power outage?"

She giggled before closing the doors. Soon after, the lights turned on, and Daisy jumped.

"SURPRISE!"

All of her friends were standing in the middle of the lobby. Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Rosalina, Luma, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Pauline, Cappy, Tiara, the Toads, and several other guests greeted her happily.

"Oh my goodness. This party is for me?"

"Of course, Daisy!" said Peach. "Since you've been invited to join us for the upcoming Smash Bros. tournament, we decided to throw a party to celebrate your debut!"

"Gee, that's so thoughtful of you guys! Thanks!"

"I'm sure you'll do well, Daisy," Luigi grinned. "I've seen you fight on your own."

"I appreciate it, Luigi." She then gave him a devious smirk, making him a bit uncomfortable. "But as a forewarning, if we ever end of having a match against each other, I won't go easy on you as I do in tennis."

The man in green gulped. "Oh, boy..." he mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"U-Uh, nothing!" his cheeks turned red.

Mario patted his back to calm him down before turning to Daisy. "Come on! We're not here to stand around. Let's enjoy the party!"

Everyone liked the sound of that. From there, Pauline, wearing her fabulous red dress, walked up onto a stage that the Toads built for her band to perform. The Super Mario Players had their instruments ready as they waited for the mayor to give them the signal. Turning back at them and giving them a nod, the drummer started off while the bassist, guitarist, pianist, and trumpeter went on board with the melody.

Many of the guests began to jump and cheer while others began to dance. Luigi offered a hand to Daisy, to which she gladly accepted. As for Mario, he glanced at Peach shyly. She blushed as she looked back at him. Before Pauline began singing, Mario saw her out of the corner of his eyes. Her face was encouraging, mentally telling him to make a move. The red plumber let out a small cough before he regained his composure.

"Peach, would you like to dance with me?" he extended his hand towards her.

The princess smiled. "I would be happy to."

Mario returned the expression as they swayed and twirled to the beat. It all led up to Pauline singing the first few verses until the chorus popped in. Cappy and Tiara laughed as they did a backflip in midair. Yoshi showed his enthusiasm with his flutter jumps while DK and Diddy clapped their hands above their heads. Rosalina casually danced with Luma as the star-like creature made cute noises while bouncing around her. Luigi, Daisy, Mario, and Peach boogied on the dance floor as they exchanged smiles and laughs with one another, especially the latter two. All of the guests adored Pauline's voice as she continued to sing with spirit. By the time her song ended, she and the band were given a big round of applause. They remained onstage to perform more music while the partygoers enjoyed the festivities. **_(1)_**

* * *

It had been a half-hour since the party started, and Pauline told everyone that she and the band were going to take a short break. Everyone didn't mind as they decided to engage in conversations. At one of the tables, Mario and Luigi were sitting down with Cappy and Tiara floating across from them.

"This sure is a wonderful party!" Tiara beamed.

"I think so, too!" Cappy agreed. "Pauline and the band were amazing, the food is great, and everyone's having a great time!"

"If I ever get to see the competitions, I'll be rooting for Peach and Daisy especially!"

"I'll be cheering for Daisy as well," Luigi had a small smile. "As long as I'm not fighting against her."

"Do you think she meant it when she said she won't go easy on you?"

"I don't know, Cappy. But whatever happens, I'll always play fair, and I'll try not to hurt her."

"You'll be fine, Weegie," Mario rubbed his shoulder. "Daisy will know it's just a competition. No hard feelings or anything like that."

"Yeah, you're right, Mario. Anyway, how did things go with Peach last night?"

"It was good."

Luigi wasn't sure if he was lying or being truthful. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," he reassured genuinely. "It was kind of awkward at first. But after I exposed my feelings and the reason why I stayed away from her, she completely understood. We talked for a while, and we made up. Our friendship is back to normal."

"That's wonderful to hear!" clapped Tiara.

"What about the ring? Did you propose to her?" Cappy wondered.

"I did."

"And?" Luigi asked.

Mario sheepishly pulled something out of his pocket. He revealed the ring inside the jewelry box.

"Wait. Does that mean-"

Mario shook his head. "No. We're not engaged. It wasn't the right time in the right place. We both felt bad for each other, and we didn't want to make things more complicated than how it was earlier. So, I'm not going to spend time with Peach as a couple, but I'm also not going to run away from her. For now, we decided that we'll be together as friends like from the very beginning. And we're okay with that."

"If that's what makes both of you happy, then I think that was the right decision," extolled Cappy.

"I'm just happy that things are alright between you two," Tiara spun around.

"As am I. And I totally understand your decision, for you and Peach."

"Thanks for supporting me, guys. I'm glad to have friends like you."

"And we'll always be friends, whether if we go on another grand adventure, or if we're miles apart!" chuckled Cappy.

"Big Brother, can we get some more ice cream?"

"Sure! But let's not try to get another brain freeze, alright?"

"Don't worry! I won't eat too fast this time!"

"We'll talk to you later!" Cappy said to the brothers before they left.

Mario looked around as he saw his other friends enjoying their small talk. Soon, she saw Pauline emerge from the bathroom. "Hey, Luigi, do you mind if I get up?"

"Oh, not at all! If you want to talk to someone else, that's okay with me. I was hoping to spend some more time with Daisy anyway."

"You're the best, fratello. I'll see you later."

Luigi gave him a wave before he got up from the table. Mario started walking over to the tall brunette.

"Hi, Pauline."

"Oh, hi, Mario! How's the party going for you?"

"Pretty good. What about you?"

"The band and I love it. I have to thank Princess Peach for letting us provide some of the entertainment."

"Yeah. You were fantastic on stage. Your singing never fails to impress me."

"Thank you! I always appreciate your compliments. Not to mention, I always feel like I'm in a great mood whenever you're around. Speaking of, if you ever have the time again, you're always welcome in New Donk City."

"I would love to go back there someday. The city life is always fascinating to me."

The two stood for a while without saying anything as they watched everyone else having fun. The band was back on stage as they were orchestrating the _Super Mario Bros._ theme.

"Mario?"

"Yes, Pauline?"

"Did you happen to resolve your issue with the princess?"

He gave her a small nod. "I did."

Pauline smiled. "That's wonderful to hear! I'm truly glad for both of you."

"Thanks, Pauline. I wouldn't have been confident if I hadn't talked to you. Or Luigi and Cappy. Trying to keep my feelings inside was killing me for the past year, and I couldn't bear to hold it in any longer."

"I can surely say that you have plenty of friends who are willing to listen to you. After all, you've had your share of listening to others and helping them with their favors. For it to be the other way around, think of it as paying it forward. Albeit, we'll always be kind to you, Mario."

"I really appreciate it."

"Oh, by the way, I saw your hat friends over there talking to each other. I thought I heard something about your proposal last night." She then frowned. "So, it didn't work out, I presume?"

Mario shook his head, but he showed a sheepish smile below his mustache. "We don't want to complicate things between us since we both wanted to start anew. To be honest, we still have some strong feelings for each other. We're just not sure if our love is true or not. Maybe we're not meant to be, or it's too early to think about it. For now, we're friends. But I'm happy with that, and Peach is, too."

"I see. If that's the path you want to take, then there's nothing stopping you. I can understand if you have to take things slow – to move on from the drama and to see if you and Peach will be together for the rest of your lives. I'm sure that the former will pan out just fine."

"I think so, too."

"And who knows? If you do get married to her, make sure you invite me to the wedding. I'm sure it'll be much better than Bowser's."

Mario snickered. " _If_ that does happen, I'll ask you to come, no doubt about it."

"Psst! Mayor!" one of the band members got her attention, waving her to return onstage.

"I have to get back with the band. Don't want to keep these guests bored."

"Okay, Pauline. It's great to talk to you again. And thanks for everything."

"No problem, Mario." She was about to walk away, but not before she leaned forward and planted a peck on his left cheek. Mario was flushed, placing a hand on the spot. The brunette winked at him before she left.

"Mamma Mia," he sighed.

His eyes were soon drawn to everyone else in the lobby. He saw Luigi chatting with Daisy, the latter having a huge smile on her face as she enjoyed her party. She gave him a hug, to which he accepted. He had to smile at that.

To his discontent, however, he couldn't find the one he was looking for. That is until he turned around to see Peach at the top of the stairs. Her arm was wrapped around one of the poles as she was talking to Toadsworth. After the old steward left to see Toad and Toadette, his eyes met hers. Peach gave him a smile. Mario kindly tipped his hat at her. Then, she motioned her hand. When he got the message, he walked up the steps and stood next to her. They took in the sight of the party as Pauline and her band resumed their performance.

"I saw Daisy earlier," Peach broke the silence. "She really appreciates the party."

"Yeah, I noticed that as well. I'm glad everything went well."

"And I'm glad we've set aside all of our problems last night."

"Same. But looking back, I wish I did something. Because all I did was show up for the event. I didn't do any work."

"If we throw another party soon, you'll get the chance to redeem yourself. For today though, you're forgiven," she reached out for his hand.

He complied and held her with a firm squeeze. He couldn't help but smile at the princess. "That's what I like about you – putting others before yourself."

"Well, I'm not the only one. I would consider you as selfless, too. You've done so much for me and everyone else, ranging from the Mushroom Kingdom to every other realm in the world."

"Thanks. It's just that... I always feel motivated whenever you are part of my life. Whether you're in trouble halfway across the globe or if you're safe at the castle, I vow to stay close to you as my best friend. I don't want to be distant like I was before. If you need my help, I'll come for you. And if I need to vent, I'll be more open to you."

"Vice versa. I can always rely on you, Mario, and I'll be there when you need me."

"Ti amo, Peach."

"I love you, too."

She gently kissed him on the forehead while leaning into him for an embrace. They held each other tightly for a short while. When they were done, they decided to rejoin their friends.

"Hey, you two!" Daisy waved at them. "Thanks again for the party. I'm just so psyched to be in the next tournament."

"I can't wait to see how you'll all do! The Bonneters and I will be watching at home to cheer you all on, especially you, Big Bro!" Tiara spun in circles.

"Heh heh," Cappy chuckled. "I'll do my best, Sis!"

"I just hope nothing scary will happen again," Luigi fretted. "Last time, we almost fell to Tabuu."

"Don't worry, Weege. I'm sure it'll be alright. But if not, we'll make sure to take care of it with the rest of our Smash friends!"

"That's right! Although, I don't know if you could include Bowser and the others," said Peach.

Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the entire castle. Pauline and the band stopped while everyone looked around, wondering what caused the vibration. Yoshi and Donkey Kong seemed to notice something outside, so everyone ran out the front. With Mario leading the way, he stopped in the middle of the front courtyard and looked up in the sky. An airship cast a shadow from above. Emerging from the deck was the Koopa King. He jumped down in front of Mario and the gang.

"BWAHAHAHA! Am I too late to crash the party? I hope not!" roared Bowser.

"Bowser?! What the heck are you doing here?!" Daisy glared.

"I thought you didn't want to be at the party," Mario raised an eyebrow.

"I still can't believe we gave him an invitation," Luigi mumbled.

"Exactly! I didn't come here for the party! I'm just here for another kidnapping scheme!"

"Again?!" Tiara shrieked.

"Don't you have better things to do?" groaned Cappy.

"Shut up! I'm not leaving unless the princess is with me! Where is she?!"

What everyone didn't expect was Peach walking forward, standing in between the crowd and Bowser.

"Peach..." Mario whispered.

"GWAHAHA! Ah, there you are! I see you're following my intentions! Now then, why don't we just-"

As Bowser reached a claw out to grab her, she shocked everyone once again. "HA-CHA!" With her Peach Bomber attack, she lunged forward, hitting Bowser in the chest and sent him ten feet back. A vast majority of the crowd had their jaws to the ground. Mario, who shook his head to refocus, walked up to her.

"Peach, that was incredible!"

"Way to go, Peach!" Daisy shook her shoulders excitedly.

"Did you mean to do that?"

"Yeah," she faced Mario and the others. "I wanted to make a statement that I'm not a bystander nor a damsel in distress for life. I have to prove that I'm capable of taking on anything, including Bowser."

"I think it's safe to say that we're all impressed. But we kind of knew that from before."

"You did?"

"Of course!" Everyone else showed that they agree.

Peach smiled. "Thanks, everyone."

"GRRR!" The gang looked over to where Bowser was. He managed to get up, grunting from the pain as he held a claw over his torso. "I'll admit; I didn't see that coming. But I'm not going to whine about it nor am I going to surrender! Jr.! Koopalings! Get over here!"

From the airship, the young Koopas jumped down to join the king. They all scowled, eager to start a fight.

That caused a light bulb to flash over Mario and Peach's heads. The two glanced at each other.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Mario.

"I believe so," Peach grinned. "Say, Bowser?"

"What?"

"How about we settle this in Smash?"

"Wait, what?" Luigi wondered if he heard the princess correctly.

"What are you talking about? That tournament isn't for another month."

"True, but how about we have a battle like we usually do, except we only use our main moves like in the competitions?" Mario persuaded.

"Hmph, I'm not into fun and games. But if that's what you're asking for, then you'll get it!"

"Come on, everyone! Let's fight!"

"And we'll do it together!" Peach shouted.

Luigi, Daisy, Cappy, Yoshi, Rosalina, Luma, DK, and Diddy emphasized with battle cries as they charged forward at the Koopa Klan. Tiara, the Toads, and the party guests all cheered from the castle bridge.

"Um, Mayor Pauline?" the bassist got her attention.

"Yes?"

"What should we do?"

Pauline hummed, thinking for a second. She soon snapped her fingers. "Let's get some action music rolling. Start 'Break Free' for me." **_(2)_**

"You got it!"

The drummer switched from his usual instrument to the electric guitar and began the first few bars of the song. The rest of the band jammed out as the others watched their friends clash against Bowser, Jr., and the Koopalings.

Cappy took control of Mario's hat, and the plumber tossed him to hit Bowser a couple of times. **_(3)_** Luigi had his Poltergust and grabbed Bowser Jr., slamming him into the ground and followed up with a combination of punches and kicks which ended with a nasty, powerful uppercut. Peach and Daisy collaborated by bashing Roy and Wendy with their Bomber moves and parasols. Yoshi, DK, and Diddy focused on Roy, Lemmy, and Iggy. The dinosaur took advantage of his egg throws and tongue while the large ape used his large hands to slap the Koopalings. And whenever one of them was caught off guard, the red-capped chimp slapped with his tail and shot peanuts at them. Rosalina and Luma utilized their magic and star power to outwit Larry and Ludwig. Mario's team was dominating Bowser's team, but the Koopas were putting up some decent competition. It was a sight to see for both the heroes and the rest of the party.

* * *

From afar, two other spectators watched the scene below. They were hiding in a couple of green warp pipes.

"Look at them. They're having a fight at the castle," a yellow-capped man said to his partner.

"Eh, I couldn't care less about them," the other man, entirely dressed in purple, grumbled.

"What's the matter with you, Waluigi?"

A groan escaped the tall guy's lips. "Did you have to ask that, Wario?"

"I was a little curious."

"Why did I agree to come with you? I thought you said didn't want to go to the party."

"Right, but I wanted to steal some cake."

Waluigi rolled his eyes. "This stinks. For the third straight time, I get invited to the tournaments, only to be an assistant to the main fighters. When's my time to shine?! When's Waluigi going to get the praise and respect he deserves?" he complained in third-person.

"Hey, it could've been worse. For all I know, they could've invited a plant instead."

"Pfft. That'll happen until the day I die. And one more thing-" His statement was short when he felt something sharp. "OW! What was that?!"

"What?"

"Something just bit my tush!"

"Who calls their butt a 'tush'?"

"Oh, shut up! Something bit me regardless!"

Waluigi looked down in the pipe he was hiding in. Suddenly, a Piranha Plant emerged from below with his sharp teeth, snapping at his... Oh, god.

"WAH!" he jumped in the air and fell out of the pipe. He started to fall down the hill below him.

Wario had a bead of sweat drip from his forehead. He slowly looked over at the Piranha Plant who lunged at him.

"YAH! I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE!" Wario sped like a Bullet Bill.

The Piranha Plant chomped its teeth several times until the two mischief makers were gone. Once he was alone, he flashed a smug grin. **_(4)_**

 ** _END OF STORY_**

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _As you might have guessed, 'Jump Up, Super Star' is played during this scene. But I did not include the lyrics because it's not allowed in Fanfiction. The last time I added song lyrics was in Hidden Bravery, but I re-edited those chapters to take out the songs._

 ** _(2):_** _'Break Free (Lead the Way)' is another song sung by Pauline that is played during the final level of Mario Odyssey._

 ** _(3):_** _Before Smash Ultimate was released, I thought Cappy would be a part of Mario's move set. But sadly, he's only shown for one of his taunts and whenever you play in his Builder or Wedding outfits. He's also a Support Spirit. Cappy doesn't have any effect as a partner or a special move, and I thought it was a missed opportunity. That's why I integrated him into the fight._

 ** _(4):_** _Yeah, I went there._

* * *

 _Albeit this is a short story, I'm happy that I managed to finish it. Now that the conclusion is over, I'll be going over my thoughts on the fanfic and your responses. (It's very long, but you don't have to read it.)_

 _First and foremost, when I thought of the idea around October, weeks before the one-year anniversary of Super Mario Odyssey, I honestly didn't believe that I was going to satisfy everyone's expectations. I figured that some people would like the story, some might be indifferent, and others would be disappointed. After reading each and every review, the results were what I predicted._

 _Yes, I did not pair Mario with Peach or Pauline, and several reviewers were unhappy about the latter. The thing is, I never planned to have a true pairing for this fanfic. Overall, I'm not one of those people who likes to 'ship' characters, and I'm NOT great at writing romance. I usually stick with what is 'canon', so to speak, whether I like the characters or not. This may not sound justifiable to you, but that's my input. Nothing more, nothing less._

 _Sure, there was a little bit of romance involved, but it's nothing too serious. A couple of reviews thought that Mario and Peach's kiss at the end of Ch. 6 was not appropriate if they're not going forward in a relationship. Frankly, I can see why those people felt that way. In my mind though, I wanted to add a scene to accentuate the bond they had shared prior to the moon incident. Despite this, the important part was that their friendship has been restored. It just doesn't end with them getting married._

 _In Pauline's case, someone mentioned that she was only in this story to play as a shrink – or psychiatrist – to help Mario, which was 'disappointing'. To admit, that was the only main reason why I added her into the cast. While it sounds trivial, I thought it'd be interesting to include her into this situation given how she was inferred to be Mario's first love interest before he met Peach. In this case, she is here to let the audience know that she likes him as a friend and is willing to help him with his problem. I apologize to damper your hopes on her role._

 _Regardless, I respect the constructive criticism because most of it was candid rather than demanding about your views. I know some of you wanted to see Mario and Pauline get together, but it's not the case for this fanfic. If I could make a suggestion, there's a short story called 'Used' by Anonymous Girl Gamer. Give that a read if you have the chance. I am not against the idea of making a story that focuses on these two. But I can't guarantee anything. I would need time to brainstorm a plot and then write it out. If you would like that, I can try to give it a shot. Key word, **try**. To reiterate, I'm NOT an expert at romantic themes._

 _As for all the positive reviews, I also appreciate your comments since the day I first published this fanfic. With more than **30 followers** and **favorites** , **5,00** **0+ hits** , and over **100 reviews** , I do not regret developing Distance whatsoever. You all motivated me to continue, especially when I was hitting a breaking point earlier. Once I had the patience and courage to move on, this was one of the few things I wanted to continue because of you guys. Thanks for sticking around with this story. It wouldn't be as captivating without your support. Until then, I'll see you next time, whether it's for New Brotherhood, Revengeful Resistance, or a brand-new project! This is TheGameNguyener (TGN), signing off._


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